A Fiery Destiny
by destiny465
Summary: Compelled to kill Finn and then forget, Elena ends up on the run from Klaus. With no idea who he is or why he wants her dead, she finds herself at the gates of the Salvatore castle begging for shelter. Unbeknownst to her, the Salvatores plan to hand her over to Klaus. Thrust into a world she never knew existed, can she earn the brothers' trust before they try to earn Klaus's? AU
1. Her Mistake

_Set in 15_ _th_ _Century England_

Elena walked along the street, as it steadily grew darker around her. She had lost track of time in the market, trying to find the perfect necklace to buy for her mother's birthday the following day. Her parents had always warned her against walking home alone in the night, and so normally she would have left earlier, but today she just hadn't been focusing on the time at all. Shivering in the cool breeze, she pulled her cloak tighter, and quickened her pace. The streets were deserted around her, and she scolded herself for leaving this late. Her parents would no doubt be waiting to reprimand her. The houses on her left came to an end, as she reached the part of the journey she hated the most. For about 10 minutes of her walk, the forest stretched out into the distance on her left. The trees were packed tightly together, so she could barely see 10 meters into the woods. She had no idea what animals were lurking in the dark. Her heart hammering in fear, she sped up, anxious to reach the warm comfort of her home. Just as she was reaching the end of the forest, a hand shot out from the trees, grasping her wrist tightly and pulling her into the thick woods.

"Don't make a sound." A low voice said, as she emerged into a small clearing in the forest and found herself looking into unfamiliar, dark brown eyes.

She immediately opened her mouth to scream anyway, but found she was unable to do so. However hard she tried, she couldn't make a single sound. What strange magic had this man done to her?

"My name is Finn Mikaelson. I apologise for what I am about to do, but unfortunately for you, there isn't anyone else around I can ask." The man talking to her was tall, with long, dark brown hair and dark eyes. He was dressed simply, but the blue gemstone glittering on a ring on his finger implied he was wealthy.

Again, Elena tried to speak, but to no avail. "Don't move." Finn said to her, sensing her distress. Embarrassed that the thought hadn't actually occurred to her, she tried to run away, but found herself unable to do that either. Terrified, she helplessly looked on at him, as he removed something from his tunic. It looked like a sharp, white stake, and it seemed to glow in the moonlight. Confused, she looked back up at Finn, as he turned it over in his hand. She had no idea who this strange man was, or what he wanted from her, or even what exactly it was he held in his hand. However she could do nothing about it. She was unable to move or speak, though she had no idea why.

He hesitated, as if he was making a difficult decision. Eventually, he spoke, quietly but firmly, no doubt in his voice.

"You don't know me, and you should be glad you don't. But I'm a monster; in fact my whole family consists of monsters. I can't live this way any longer. Why do I deserve to live, if it means so many people have to give their lives for me?"

Elena didn't say anything, not that she could have even if she wanted to. Finn carried on speaking anyway.

"I know this doesn't make any sense to you, but it doesn't matter, soon you won't remember any of it anyway. I just want you to know you should not feel guilty about what I'm making you do." He took a breath, and then let it out, smiling, as if he was finally at peace.

"I want you to kill me, and then I want you to forget about this whole meeting."

(**)

Elena rolled over in her bed, unable to sleep. As she had expected, her parents had been angry with her for coming home late. But she felt she had been justified. After over an hour of browsing jewelry at the local market, she had finally picked out the perfect necklace for her mother. Plus, her walk back had been quiet and uneventful, so she didn't see why her parents were so annoyed. But for some reason, their anger must have got to her, because as much as she had tried, she just couldn't fall asleep.

She lived in a small village with her parents, and she was happy with her life. Though they didn't have much money, they got by, and that was more than enough for her. Her father was a doctor, and was well respected and liked in the village. As was her mother. In fact her father had even taken the time to teach her to read and write, a skill that hardly any women were allowed.

Sighing, she got up and went over to the window, opening it to allow some air inside. As she felt the breeze on her face, her nose wrinkled at the smell. Was that smoke? Leaning out of the window, she quickly spotted the flames licking the side of the house. Her heart pounding in fear, she leaned back.

"Mother! Father ! Fire!" She shouted out, but got no reply. She ran out the door, and was immediately suffocated by the smoke that had already filled the corridor. The flames were spreading rapidly, and within seconds, she could barely see in any direction. Her eyes filled with tears, as the smoke stung them, but she kept calling out for her parents.

"No, no, no, no." She whispered to herself. What if she was too late? What if something had happened to her parents? She held up her arm to cover her mouth, as she ran along the corridor towards her parents' room, fear surging through her.

"Elena, stop!" A soft voice called out, as a dark shadow emerged in front of her. Elena froze with fear, before recognition dawned as she saw the familiar face of her neighbor, Charlotte. Charlotte had lived next door for as long as Elena could remember, and she was a close friend of her mother's. She had been like an aunt to Elena, always looking out for her.

"Charlotte! Thank god, we have to get my parents out!" Elena said, grabbing Charlotte's arm and dragging her along. But Charlotte shook free, and took hold of Elena's shoulders, forcing her to stop.

"No, you have to get out of here! My horse is outside, take her and leave. Go as fast as you can, as far as you can." Charlotte shouted, over the noise of the roaring flames surrounding them.

Elena frowned, confused. "Why? We have to get my parents out!"

Charlotte shook her head, and Elena saw the fear in her eyes. "Elena, this fire wasn't an accident!"

Elena grew even more confused. It wasn't an accident? Their family was well liked in this village, no one would do something like this to them. What was Charlotte talking about?

"I saw his symbol on your door. I don't know why he's after you, but he is, which means he won't ever leave you. They'll be back soon to check the fire did it's job, you have to get out now!" Charlotte said, the words coming out rushed with terror. "Ride as fast as you can away from here, hide out somewhere."

Elena looked around helplessly, as the flames had completely surrounded them. Charlotte seemed to have gone crazy with fear, she didn't seem to know what she was saying.

"Charlotte, nobody's after me! We have to get my parents out of here, then put out this fire!"

Charlotte glanced at the flames then at the door, which was now almost totally covered by the flames. She looked afraid.

"I don't have time to explain, but if you stay here, they'll come back and they _will_ kill you. I will get your parents out, don't worry. Just go! Now!" Charlotte pushed her backwards, towards the door, while moving her hand at the same time. Elena looked behind her, as the flames around the door seemed to suddenly lessen.

"H – how did you do that?" Elena asked, mystified.

"Elena, get _out!_ " Charlotte shoved her once more, forcing Elena to turn before she fell. She pushed the door open, and stepped out into the night, her lungs grateful for the clean air. She turned, just in time to see the flames grow bigger again as the door swung shut, locking her out of her own house.

"Find the bodies." Elena heard someone shout, as she saw a group of men smash the windows and enter the house. They didn't seem to see her, though she had no idea why. The men looked angry, they almost seemed to be snarling, as the jumped through the windows of her house. Realizing there may have been some truth in what Charlotte was saying, Elena turned and ran towards the horse outside Charlotte's house. She jumped on its back, and turned to look at her house, for what might have been the last time. Charlotte had said that she would get her parents out, and she trusted her. But she was still afraid. Afraid of the fires that were still consuming her childhood home, afraid of the dangerous looking men who had just entered, and afraid to leave the village, where she had spent her entire life.

As she rode past her house, she caught a glimpse of the symbol on her door that Charlotte had mentioned. Burned into the wooden door of her house, was a large 'K'.

(**)

Elena rode as fast as she could for the next few hours. A few time she paused, to catch her breath, until she heard the shouts and sounds of horse's hooves in the distance behind her. Terrified, she decided not to stop anymore. Who were these people chasing her, and why were they after her? To her knowledge, she had never hurt anyone in her life, and neither had her parents. So what had she done to deserve this wrath from them? After 5 or 6 hours of continuous riding, the path she was on forked in two. On the left it continued downwards into a small village, similar to hers, perhaps slightly larger. On the right it ended abruptly, as a large, grey castle rose out of the darkness, looming above her. The sounds of hooves behind her increased in volume, as she realized they were steadily gaining on her. Her heart racing in terror, she looked at the fork. Which way would they expect her to go? The answer was easy, it was where she desperately wanted to go. Left. Into the village. Surely there would be a friendly family willing to help her out, hide her for a few days, until things died down. But if that was the way she wanted to go, that was the way they would go to look for her.

Taking a breath, and trying to gain some courage, she headed right, towards the large wooden gates. She jumped off the horse, and shook the water from her hair. She was completely soaked through, it had been raining continuously for the last few hours.

"Help! Is anyone there? Open up!" She shouted, hammering on the gates.

She realized how desperate she was. If the owners refused to open the gates, she wouldn't have time to try her luck in the village, the men would have caught up with her by then. This was her only chance.

"Help! Please! There are men after me, they'll kill me!" Elena shouted out again. She was sore all over, her arms ached, her legs ached. She knew if this gate didn't open, she would collapse. It would be over.

After a few minutes of hammering, there was a noisy creak, and the gate opened ever so slightly, as an elderly man popped his head through the gap. He was soaked through as well, and his friendly brown eyes weren't focused, as if he had just woken up. She ran over to him, a glimmer of hope rising inside her.

"Please, you have to help me. These men are chasing me, they _will_ kill me. I just need shelter for a few hours, until they go past. And then I will leave, I promise. Please, please. You have to help me." Elena said, her heart rate increasing. She kept looking behind her, dreading the moment when she would see horses appear on the path.

The old man looked at her suspiciously, and then he looked back up at the castle, worriedly. Elena had no idea what he was thinking. Just when she was convinced he was going to send her away, he nodded slightly.

"You can stay the night. Get dried up and get some rest, but you have to be out tomorrow." He croaked,

Elena let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding, and hugged him with relief. He stumbled back slightly, as he hadn't been expecting it, but when she let him go, she saw him smiling slightly.

"Thank you so much!" She said, returning the smile.

(**)

Damon had been trying to get some sleep, when he had heard the commotion outside. He had heard the riders before they had even reached the castle, the benefits of vampire hearing. Since the town they lived in was normally quiet, he had been intrigued by the sudden disturbance late at night. Standing up, he looked out of the window, down into the courtyard. He could hear a single rider approaching the gate, and not far behind, a group of about 4 or 5 riders.

He pushed open the window slightly, as the single rider started hammering on the gate. He was surprised to see it was a woman. She was dressed simply, clearly not from a wealthy background. She was soaked through, and she looked terrified, as she shook the water out from her long, brown hair. He watched as Alaric, their gatekeeper, slowly shuffled across the courtyard and pushed open the gate. As he listened to the exchange between Alaric and the woman, his curiosity grew by the second. Eventually Alaric let her in, as Damon knew he would. He had a soft heart, and would never have turned down a young woman in distress. He watched as they crossed the courtyard again, and Alaric let her into the small cottage he stayed in.

The door had just swung shut behind them, when the group of riders arrived at the gates. He watched as two of them jumped up onto the walls surrounding the castle, and their eyes swept across the grounds. They were vampires, that much was clear, which was why they couldn't enter the actual grounds of the castle. They hadn't been invited. The whole castle and its grounds belonged to Alaric, though he wasn't aware of that. It kept them protected though, as vampires couldn't enter without permission, and Alaric was fully loyal to them.

"She's not here." One of the men stood on the wall shouted back to the rest of the group.

"Let's try the town. Otherwise she must be further ahead." The other man said. They both jumped back on their horses, and the whole group headed towards the town.

Further intrigued, Damon pushed open his window all the way, and jumped down from the castle, landing lightly on his feet. Another benefit of being a vampire, these heights were nothing to him. He made his way to the cottage, his shirt quickly getting soaked through. It was really pouring down. Alaric was nowhere in sight, so Damon continued on into the bedroom at the back. He entered, just as the woman was attempting to do up her dress at the back. When she saw him, she blushed.

"Haven't you heard of knocking?" She asked, angrily.

"Allow me." He said, helping her with her dress, quickly and expertly doing it up. He was done within seconds, and she turned to look at him, with an expression of suspicion.

"It's not difficult! Look, I'll demonstrate." She said, as she knocked on the cupboard next to her. Her dark brown eyes were flashing with anger, as Damon held back a smile. Her life was clearly in danger, yet she still wanted to reprimand him for his manners.

There was a quick knock on the door behind him, as Alaric stepped into the bedroom.

"See, he knows how to do it." The woman said, though her expression of anger had been replaced with gratefulness, as she looked at Alaric.

"My lord! I didn't see you come in." Alaric said, bowing to him.

"It's no problem. I just wanted to speak with our guest." Damon said, and Alaric nodded and left.

Damon turned back to see the woman blushing furiously.

"L-Lord? I'm sorry, I didn't know." She said, looking down embarrassedly.

Damon noted that she still hadn't curtsied. It was probably the first time he had spoken to a woman, and she hadn't curtsied. This woman clearly didn't have experience speaking to nobility, but instead of being offended, he found it refreshing.

"Well next time you decide to rebuke someone, maybe you should check if they own the castle you're standing next to."

The woman half smiled, like she was unsure whether he was telling a joke or not.

"I will, I apologize." She said, quickly. She still looked completely embarrassed that she had spoken that way to a lord.

"Never mind. Who are you?" He asked, getting to the point.

"My name is Elena, sir, I mean my lord. These men are after me, I have no idea why. They set fire to my house, and they chased me all the way here, for the last 7 or 8 hours. I don't know what I did, I don't know who they are." She said, her words coming out rushed.

Damon frowned, he was getting more and more curious. She seemed to be a normal human girl, so what had she done to cause a group of vampires to chase after her for so long?

"You have no idea who they are?" He asked, disbelievingly.

"No! I didn't even know they were after me, until my neighbor told me. She saw the symbol on my door and - "

"Symbol?" Damon cut in, intrigued.

"Well, she said it was a symbol. It just looked like a big 'K' to me." Elena continued to talk, but Damon had stopped listening. The symbol meant only one thing. Klaus. Now why was the world's most powerful vampire, Klaus, after this seemingly normal human girl? It didn't really matter anyway, since there was only one thing to be done in this situation. Give the girl to Klaus, or incur the wrath of an Original vampire. There really was no decision to be made. He glanced at the girl who was still talking in front of him. Her long brown hair was starting to dry in soft waves, and her eyes, though tense with fear, were still full of life.

She was beautiful, even he had to admit. It was just a pity she wouldn't be alive much longer.

 _Hey, so just scene setting at the moment, but let me know if you like the concept and think I should continue?_


	2. Her Charm

"And she has no idea why they're after her?" Stefan asked, his hazel-green eyes filled with curiosity.

"She's obviously lying. An Original doesn't waste his time for mere humans for no reason." Damon said, looking out the window at the small cottage where their guest was currently breakfasting with Alaric.

Stefan nodded in agreement, pacing across the large hall in which they were currently standing. "She must have done something bad. He set fire to her house, which means he was willing to kill her whole family too." Damon turned to his brother, who had a troubled expression on his face. The deaths of innocent humans always bothered him in a way that Damon had never fully understood. They didn't know these people, so why did it matter?

"Not necessarily." Damon said, in reply to Stefan's original statement. "Klaus doesn't react in the same way as other people. He gets angry easily. For all we know, she may have just refused to go on a date with him or something."

Stefan remained quiet, but his expression told Damon that he didn't agree. "Whatever the reason, I want to meet her."

Damon rolled his eyes, but didn't bother to argue. He strode from the room quickly, and within minutes, Elena was standing in the hall with them. She was admiring her surroundings, impressed with the size and lavishness of the castle. She was clearly not from a wealthy background. She glanced between the two brothers, a tense expression crossing her face. Stefan approached her, gently lifting her face so he could look her in the eyes.

"Why are these men after you?" Stefan asked softly, his compulsion acting immediately.

"I don't know." Elena said, and Damon sighed. This was useless, she was probably on vervain.

"Damon, come here." Stefan said, looking up.

Damon held back another roll of his eyes, and crossed the room towards them.

"Look at her eyes."

Damon did as his brother wanted, and looked into her dark brown eyes. The previous night, he hadn't used compulsion, so hadn't inspected her eyes. But now he was close enough to see what Stefan had noticed. Around the edges of her iris were faint marks, invisible to the human eye, but clearly noticeable with vampire vision. They meant only one thing.

"She's been compelled by an Original." Stefan said quietly.

Damon frowned, this whole thing was getting more and more intriguing by the minute. If Klaus wanted to kill her, why had he compelled her to forget why?

"Forget this just happened. Go wait outside. Don't be scared." Stefan said to Elena, who's anxiety was increasing by the second. The compulsion took affect immediately, and her breathing slowed as she left the room.

"We have to send her on her way." Stefan said. "Those men chasing her will have moved on now. If she goes in the opposite direction, she'll have a good head start."

Damon sighed. "Are you insane? What happens when Klaus finds out we had her and let her go, what then?"

"How will he find out? You, I and Alaric are the only ones who know she's here. Alaric is on vervain, and fully loyal to us, and we aren't going to tell Klaus."

"And if someone saw her come to the castle? Or sees he leave?"

Stefan paused, considering. "Are you scared of him?"

"No. I'm just aware that he could very easily kill me, and I quite enjoy living." Damon replied, without hesitation. Stefan's soft heart was going to get him killed one day, but he wasn't about to let Stefan take him down with him.

"So what are you suggesting?" Stefan asked me still not understanding.

"We hand her over to Klaus. Let him do what he wants."

An expression of shock crossed his brother's face. "He wants to kill her."

Damon turned away, not wanting his brother's disapproval to guilt him out of doing the right thing.

"That's not our problem." He replied, shrugging. "It's us or her. And I'm not really in the mood to give up my life for a stranger." He added, drily.

"So that's it, no discussion? We just give her to Klaus, effectively giving her a death sentence? We don't even know what she did!"

"But she did _something_!" Damon snapped, irritation creeping into his voice. "And it really doesn't matter what. If we don't give her to Klaus, he'll kill us, then find her and kill her anyway. No point in us all dying, just because you don't want a little guilt on your conscience."

Stefan stayed quiet for a few moments. He could see he wasn't happy with the decision, but in the end, he would agree it was the right one.

"Fine. But we have to tell her the truth." He eventually said.

"Right. So she can sneak out at some point, and leave us to explain to Klaus how we had her but lost her."

Stefan gritted his teeth, and Damon could tell he was getting more and more angry.

"If it makes you feel better, we have no way of getting in touch with Klaus right now. I don't know where he is, or where any of his men are, so we can't get a message to him. We'll have to wait for him to drop in to see us, and by then, he may have forgotten about this whole thing, and we can let her go." Stefan stayed quiet, but Damon could see a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He had realised that was a valid possibility. "Look, you don't even have to do anything. Watch." Damon added, and then went to get Elena. She was sitting in the corridor, and looked up anxiously when he walked towards her.

He compelled her to come back in the hall and she obediently followed.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality." She said, politely. "I'll leave today."

Stefan looked away, as Damon spoke up. "No need. Your life is clearly in danger, and we don't feel like it would be right to send you away now. Stay with us as long as you need, until the danger has died down." He said to her, inserting a false gentleness into his voice.

Elena immediately shook her head, but Damon saw a spark of hope bloom in her sparkling, brown eyes, and to his annoyance, he felt a stab of guilt.

"No, no! I could never impose on you like that." She said, though the firmness in her voice had started to waver. Damon knew she was on the verge of agreeing.

"Impose? You've seen the size of the castle, there plenty of room, trust me."

Elena bit down on her lip, glancing at Stefan. He was looking down at the ground, avoiding her gaze.

"Well, if you insist..." She said, trailing off, but Damon could see the wave of relief that had just washed over her. She smiled gratefully at him, but he found himself annoyed that she had agreed. For some reason, he'd been hoping she would decline. Was this guilt?

"Thank you both so much." Elena said, turning to Stefan. He raised his head and nodded at her, still choosing to stay silent. "I have no clothes though..." She added, suddenly looking down at her attire, and blushing. Damon could tell that she was embarrassed about her lack of personal possessions.

"No problem, I'll take you to the market today." Damon said, quickly volunteering. It was better that Stefan spent as little time with her as possible. If he got to know her, his guilt would only increase, and that wouldn't be good for anyone. Well, apart from her.

(**)

Elena hesitantly followed Damon down a set of stairs, into what looked like a large storeroom in the basement of the castle.

"I thought we were going to the market." Elena said, confused as to why they were underground.

Damon glanced back at her with an expression of surprise, before he nodded. "We are." He said, his face returning to the expressionless mask it seemed to be most of the time.

Elena blushed when she realised that probably wasn't the correct way to speak to a Lord, but the truth was that she had no idea what was. Having grown up in a tiny village, with hardly any money, meeting nobility was not something she had ever expected to happen. So nobody had ever taught her what you were supposed to do or say. And this Lord being incredibly handsome didn't help either. In fact, both the brothers' good looks had struck her immediately. Damon's dark brown, almost black hair and intense, light blue eyes contrasted strongly with Stefan's forest green eyes and blonde hair. However both brothers were classically handsome. Though Damon had done all the talking when she met them, she had still thought that Stefan seemed like the gentler of the two. A loud crashing pulled her out of her thoughts as she saw Damon lift up a large trap door from the floor, and drop it down on the ground.

"This way." Damon said, stepping down into the hole that had just appeared in the ground. Elena watched him go, her eyes straining to make out shapes in the dark. She could just about see a ladder descending into the blackness, but that was all.

"Come on." Damon called out, and Elena could sense a hint of impatience in his voice. Though he had extended the invitation, he didn't seem to be thrilled that she had accepted. But she had no choice. Those men were probably still after her, and she really had no idea where else to go. Charlotte had said she would find her, but Elena didn't see how she could.

Shaking away the distressing thoughts, she hesitantly took a step down, testing the sturdiness of the ladder. Convinced it could hold her weight, she climbed further down. As she neared the bottom, Damon grabbed her waist and lifted her down, before taking her hand and leading her down the darkened tunnel. The gesture took her by surprise, and she shivered slightly at his touch. She never could have imagined that one day, a Lord would be touching her or holding her hand.

She squinted, but she could not see anything. She was amazed that Damon seemed to know where he was going, he didn't trip or stumble once. A few minutes later, he stopped, letting go of her hand. Still unable to see anything, she waited patiently as he lifted his arms up, and pushed, hard. She heard something shift, and then light flooded into the tunnel, as another trap door swung open, revealing another ladder. Again, he climbed up first, then took her hand, helping her up too. She emerged into a small clearing in a wooded area, similar to the one that surrounded her own village. Damon pushed the trap door shut again, and kicked some leaves over it, until it was completely invisible.

"Could we not just use the front door?" Elena asked, jokingly. Damon looked over at her, almost as if he had forgotten she was there.

"We prefer to keep out of the public eye." He answered, his face completely expressionless.

"But they must have seen you, at some point?" Elena asked, confused, but Damon shook his head.

"Never."

"But you're their lord!"

"Right, and your knowledge of lords is so extensive." Damon said drily, and Elena blushed. He was right, she probably wasn't supposed to talk like this to him, maybe that was why he was being so cold with her. She kept quiet for the next few minutes as he led her along the path, until they emerged into a large, open area where a market had been set up. It was similar to the one in her own village,maybe slightly larger. The thought made her homesick, and she hoped that Charlotte had managed to get her parents out.

Damon wade over to a small stall at the corner, where a young girl was standing behind a wooden counter, covered in bottles of varying sizes, filled with different coloured liquids. The girl beamed at Damon as they walked over. She was short and petite, with a delicate face framed by short, wavy black hair. Her dark green eyes lit up as Damon and Elena approached her. Her expression of delight turned to curiosity though as she noticed Elena.

"Nice of you to make time to see me." The girl said, looking reproachfully at Damon. "I didn't know being a Lord required so much time."

Damon grinned, and Elena thought it made him look even more handsome. It was the first time she had seen him smile.

"Bonnie, this is Elena, our newest house guest. Elena, Bonnie. Childhood friend." Damon said, quickly making introductions.

Elena smiled at Bonnie, who returned it with a friendly expression.

"Elena, dresses are over there." Damon said, nodding at a nearby stall. "Pick whatever you want."

She felt like he was trying to get rid of her, so he could talk to Bonnie in private. She obliged, walking away quickly. It was clear that they were quite close, and seeing the way that Bonnie looked at Damon, Elena couldn't help but think there might be something more there. As she chose a few simple dresses, she watched as Damon and Bonnie talked. They glanced her way now and again, their expressions serious, and Elena guessed Damon was telling her everything that had happened.

(*)

The next few weeks passed quickly for Elena. She waited eagerly for news from Charlotte, but nothing came. Her time was split quite evenly between Stefan and Damon, though Damon seemed to resent spending any more time than he had to with her. Stefan, on the other hand, was much friendlier. He showed her around the castle, the town and took walked with her in the courtyard. They talked about their families, their loves, anything and everything, and Elena found herself enjoying the time she spent with him. On the other hand, Damon was much more reserved, never talking about himself or anything personal. He seemed to want to keep his distance from her, though she couldn't understand why. It was from Stefan that she learnt about their past. Their parents had died years ago, though Stefan hadn't been specific about exactly how.

One day, as they were sitting on the grassy area outside the castle, Stefan told her about his first love. Her name had been Katherine, and she had stayed with them for a little under a year. Stefan had fallen for her, and had been planning to propose when he had found out his brother loved her too. Angry, they had confronted her and she had admitted that she loved them both. They wanted a decision though, and gave her a day to choose between them. The next morning, they found she had fled in the night, unable to come to a decision. They had both been heartbroken, but Stefan said that after a few weeks, he had realised she probably never really loved either of them. Otherwise she wouldn't have left. But Damon believed whole heartedly that she loved him, and he still hadn't given up on her. He had never loved another.

"Bonnie's in love with him, isn't she?" Elena asked, after a few moments of silence.

Stefan looked at her, surprised. "How did you know?"

"Girls are good at noticing these kind of things. Does he not know?" Elena said, curious.

Stefan shrugged. "I don't know if he's just ignoring it, or is completely oblivious. But either way, he doesn't feel the same. After Katherine, it hasn't even crossed his mind to love another."

Elena looked down, feeling sad for Bonnie and her unrequited love.

Damon though had other things on his mind. As the weeks passed, he found himself liking Elena, the fire within her, the intensity with which she argued, her determination to accomplish anything she set her mind to. He also liked that she treated him like a normal person. There was no fear when she talked to him, as she had never met a Lord before, and so she didn't worry about talking to him in the correct way. He found it refreshing. But he didn't want to get too close to her, as he knew his guilt was already starting to grow. So he tried to stay away when he could, only accompanying her somewhere when he could find no excuse not to. Stefan seemed to have no such problem. As Damon watched his brother grow closer and closer to Elena everyday, he saw him fall quickly and fully into love with her. He knew a problem was developing, but he could find no way to put a stop to it. He was already dreading the day when they met Klaus, and would have to hand Elena over. Though he was hoping it would come sooner than later, before Stefan had gone too far. If Stefan tried to save Elena, Damon had no idea what would happen. He hoped he wouldn't have to find out.

Elena was sitting in her bedroom, gazing down at the locket in her fingers. It had been a birthday present from her parents, and was making her feel more homesick than ever. She looked up, as Stefan slipped into the room.

"I have a surprise for you. We're going home."

Elena frowned, confused. "I thought this was your home."

"Not mine...yours."

(*)

Damon rode in the woods near the castle, trying to clear his head. Stefan and Elena had already ridden out, towards her village. He had warned Stefan it was a bad idea, but Stefan didn't seem to be thinking straight. He just wanted to make Elena happy, and he seemed to have forgotten completely about Klaus. Either that, or he was in denial. Damon didn't care, it was Stefan's mistake to make. And if he ended up getting Elena killed, he would wallow in guilt for a few years and then find another girl to fall madly in love with. It was just the way Stefan was. As he came to a stop, he heard the sound of hooves coming towards him, and watched as two men came towards him. He recognised them immediately as two of Klaus's men.

"Damon." They nodded in greeting. He said nothing. "Come on. Klaus has a job for us."

"What job?" Damon asked. This wasn't unusual, every now and again Damon would carry out some task for Klaus. He owed him after all. After they had been turned and their parents had been killed, they had nowhere to go. Klaus had taken them in, trained them, and then given them a castle and lordships.

"He's looking for a girl, but hasn't had any luck. We've been watching her village to see if she goes back, but there's been no sign of her yet."

Damon made sure his face wasn't betraying any emotions as he listened. This meant that Stefan's hope had been in vain. Klaus hadn't given up and forgotten yet.

"Klaus wants to send a stronger message. We're burning the place down, killing everyone in it. That should get her attention." The men announced, and turned and rode away. Damon was forced to follow, as any other action would have seemed suspicious.

As he followed behind them, he felt the tension rise within him. Stefan and Elena were heading toward the same place as Klaus's men. This wasn't good, this wasn't good at all. The chances of saving Elena were small at this point, not to mention it would be incredibly risky. But Damon had to make sure Stefan didn't get caught protecting her, Klaus wouldn't like that at all. Rescuing Elena wasn't likely, but he needed to get Stefan out of there before it was too late.

 _Hey, I know I skipped over the Stefan falling in love part, but that's because this is a Delena story. So now the exciting stuff is going to start happen soon, so stick with me, and just let me know if there's anyone actually reading this x_


	3. Her Guilt

Damon saw them approaching, and stepped back so they wouldn't see him. He was standing on the roof of one of the houses in Elena's village, but jumped down when he saw Stefan riding towards the village with Elena sitting behind him. Fell's Church, that was the name she had given it when she had been talking to him about her home. It was a small but pretty village, with a population of no more than a hundred. Damon glanced around, at the villagers milling around, some with important work to do, others simply passing time. A feeling of anger rose within him at what Klaus was forcing him to do, but he had no choice. Of course these villagers' lives were valuable, he just placed more value on his own life.

"It's time." One of Klaus's men said, walking over to him and handing him a lit candle. "Do it."

Damon jumped back up onto the roof he had just been standing on, taking one last look at the village he was about to destroy. He glanced at where his brother's horse was, and saw Elena laugh at something Stefan had said. Before he could let guilt get the better of him, he threw the candle down, into the village square, where it immediately caught fire due to the oil they had spent the last hour pouring all over the houses and buildings.

It spread quickly, thanks to their efforts, and within minutes, Fell's Church was ablaze. He looked back to where Stefan and Elena were getting steadily closer, and saw his brother wrinkle his nose. His vampire senses had alerted him to the problem before Elena had noticed anything, but that didn't last long. Soon, even Elena could see the flames surrounding the village, and he saw the blood drain from her face. They approached, and Damon watched as Stefan's horse reacted wildly to the flames, throwing the two around. Elena jumped off, and ran straight into the fire-consumed village, while Stefan shouted to her to stop. But she paid no notice, and by the time he got back in control of his horse, she had gone.

Damon jumped down, into the square, as the flames took hold of the house he had been standing on. Now, all the buildings were completely invisible due to the fire surrounding them, though the roads between the houses were relatively safe. Stefan ran into the square, looking terrified, as his eyes roamed the surroundings. The terror turned to shock as he noticed Damon.

"What are you doing here? Where's Elena?" He asked, looking around wildly.

"I had to come here with Klaus's men, so they wouldn't get suspicious."

Stefan froze, as understanding dawned. "You did this." He said, looking around at the carnage and destruction. "You killed all these people."

"I did it for you, Stefan! You just had to go and fall in love with her, and leave me to pick up the pieces! Do you realise what Klaus will do to you when he finds out? Look at this. Look around you." Damon said gesturing to the rising flames. "This guy is not messing around. Whatever she did is serious, serious enough for Klaus to want to burn down a village full of innocent people. Yes, I started this fire, but you forced my hand. This is on you, not me." Damon said, furious with his brother, but also himself. Stefan opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the arrival of Klaus's men into the square.

"You're going to have fun explaining this to Klaus." One of the men said, glancing between the two brothers with a cold smile.

"Why are you after her? What did she do?" Damon asked, needing to satisfy his curiosity.

"Since it's evident that you two are fairly close with the girl, I would have thought she told you herself. " The other man replied, taking a step forward.

Damon frowned. Clearly they didn't know she had been compelled, so had Klaus not told them? Or maybe Klaus hadn't been the one who compelled her, and he too was unaware of that fact.

"Just let her go." Stefan said, his voice calm and measured, but Damon could sense the anger just underneath the surface.

"Risking your life for a girl you barely know? That doesn't sound like the Salvatore brothers I know."

"And sending two idiots to do his work for him doesn't sound like the Klaus I know." Damon said drily.

One of the men stiffened and stepped closer, but the other one remained calm.

"He wasn't expecting the girl to show up, when she hadn't all this time. We just got lucky. We take care of you two, and the girl is ours."

This time it was Stefan's turn to stiffen. "Try it. I dare you." He said, snarling and stepping forward. He barely seemed to move, and one of the men went flying backwards, landing hard on the ground. Damon almost grinned. His brother was soft 90% of the time, but he was currently in that 10%, and these two men had a problem.

"Go get Elena. I've got this." Stefan shouted over the roaring flames, as he turned to block an attack from the other guy. Damon hesitated for a few seconds, unwilling to leave his brother alone, but the look of fury in Stefan's eyes comforted him. Stefan definitely could take care of himself.

Damon turned and ran down one of the streets, listening hard for any sign of Elena. Over the crackle of the fire, he could distantly hear her footsteps running further ahead. He ran in that direction, until he could see her in front of him. She had paused in front of a house that was thoroughly consumed by flames, and she had a look of concentration on her face. As Damon's senses kicked in, he could hear cries for help coming from the house.

"Elena, don't!" He shouted, and she looked over at him. He could see she had been crying, her eyes were red and her face was tear streaked. She shook her head helplessly, and then went into the house. He ran, but by the time he had reached, all he could see was flames. The words of Klaus's man drifted into his mind.

 _Risking your life for a girl you barely know_

Damon signed, grumpily. There were few things that could kill a vampire, unfortunately fire was one of them. The things he did for his brother, he thought to himself, as he plunged into the flames in pursuit of Elena.

Elena started coughing immediately, the smoke going straight to her lungs. She couldn't see anything, the fire was everywhere, and the smoke had completely filled the small house. So she focused on the sounds, listening out for the cries of help she had heard. She was desperate to save this person. She was trying not to think of the fact that this was all her fault, all these lives lost in the fire, she was directly responsible. But she was blocking that out for now, because she knew if she allowed herself to feel the guilt, she would just break down, unable to go on.

"Help! Someone!" The voice was that of a young boy, which made Elena feel that much worse. How many children would have lost their lives today because of her? No, she couldn't think about that.

"I'm coming!" She called out, allowing yet more smoke to enter her lungs. She screamed as a wooden beam came crashing down behind her, narrowly missing her. The door was now completely out of sight, there was no going back. She followed the sound, into one of the back rooms, and saw a boy crouching in the corner, trying to get as far away from the flames as he could.

"Stay there." Elena said, her voice now hoarse. Her vision had started to go slightly blurry, and the level of fear was rising within her. Between her and the boy, the path was strewn with fallen beams and flames. Stepping carefully forward, she started to make her way, when the bookcase next to her made a loud groaning sound and fell to the side, hitting her in the head. She was knocked down immediately, pinned under the weight of the heavy wooden shelves. She attempted to push it off, but had no success. It was too heavy. Her vision was now completely blurry, images swimming in front of her eyes.

"I'm sorry." She whispered to the blurry figure huddled in the corner who she had let down. As she gave in to the darkness, she could vaguely make out a tall figure pulling the bookcase off her.

"Get the boy." She managed to whisper, as she felt herself being scooped up into strong arms, before passing out.

(*)

When she woke up, she was lying on a grassy hill, overlooking Fell's Church. She knew the hill well, she had spent many an afternoon on it, picnicking with friends and family. Steeling herself, she sat up, looking over the place which had been her home for her whole life. She stifled a gasp as she saw it. The village had been completely consumed by the fires there was nothing left at all. Every single building had been burned down to a crisp. The fire had taken everything and everyone she had ever loved. The one and only comfort she had was that Charlotte had got her parents away. She wiped away the tears and turned to see Damon leaning against a rock, watching her. He looked almost curious, as if her reaction intrigued him. She felt only grief though.

"The boy?" She whispered, not wanting to ask but forcing herself to.

"I got him out. He said he had family in a village nearby, Stefan's taken him there." Damon said, his face returning to expressionless.

"Thank you." Elena said, thoroughly grateful. One person had been able to escape, and that meant so much to her. But then she thought about all the people who hadn't. Her parents friends, her own friends. And it was all her fault. Every single life that had been lost, she was responsible for. She had killed all these people. This man who was after her, she must have done something really bad to him. And it killed her that she didn't know what it was, that she didn't know why these people had had to die. She lay back, and let the grief swallow her.

Damon watched her, his curiosity turning to guilt, as she sobbed quietly. Originally he had been intrigued by her reaction at seeing the village. The town he had grown up in, he had never felt any real attachment to it, or the people in it. But with Elena, seeing the burnt remains had turned her into a complete wreck. She was wracked with grief and guilt, two emotions Damon had rarely felt in his life. But since he had met Elena, he had been feeling guilt more and more frequently, much to his annoyance. Setting fire to a town or village was a job Klaus had tasked him with on many an occasion, so why did this feel different? Why did the sight of her tears incite anger in him, anger at Klaus, anger at himself? Shaking away the thoughts, he stood up.

"We should get out of here. Before any one else comes." He said.

Elena didn't reply, but she didn't protest either as he picked her up and walked over to his horse. As they rode away, she put her arms around him to hold on, and cried softly into his back.

She didn't remember falling asleep, but she woke up in her bedroom at the castle, Stefan at her side. Relief washed over him as he saw her awaken, and he immediately helped her sit up. She glanced at her doorway, and saw Damon leaning against the door, watching her, his face betraying no emotions.

"I'm sorry." He said, looking down, guilt written all over him.

Elena frowned. How was any of this his fault? "Don't be. I'm sorry. I put you in danger, in fact I still am, by staying here. This person who's after me, he has no boundaries, no line he won't cross. Once he finds me, he won't hesitate to kill you. I need to leave, before anyone else is hurt because of me." She said, her words rushed. She scrambled to get out of the bed, but Stefan gripped her firmly, pushing her back down gently.

"You're not going anywhere. We'll protect you. That man is not going to hurt you." Stefan said, his eyes flashing. He wanted her to believe him. She nodded, mutely, and he kissed her lightly on the cheek. She saw Damon turn and leave, without saying a word.

"Get some rest." Stefan said softly, before he too left, shutting the door gently behind him.

Elena tossed and turned, completely unable to sleep. How could she, knowing that so many people had died because of her? And now she was risking Stefan and Damon's lives? After they had offered her their home, let her in, protected her? And today, Damon had saved her life. No. She couldn't endanger them any more. This was her problem, she had hurt somebody and now they were after her. The Salvatores had done nothing wrong.

She rose quietly, not wanting to wake them. She took nothing with her, after all, it wasn't hers to take. Everything she had, had been lost in the fire. And everything she currently possessed had been bought for her by Damon or Stefan. She crept down the stairs, and placed her hand on the handle of the large wooden door. She paused for a moment, silently thanking the brothers for everything they had done for her.

"Going somewhere?" The low voice cut through the silence and made her jump. She placed a hand on her now pounding heart, as she turned to see Damon standing on the staircase. His mesmerising blue eyes seemed to shine in the moonlight.

"Don't try and stop me, I've made up my mind." She said, gritting her teeth. She wouldn't let him get to her.

He shrugged. "I wasn't going to."

Suspicious, Elena waited, but he didn't say anything else.

She was halfway out of the door when he spoke again. "You're not at least going to say goodbye to Stefan?" His voice was calm, measured. Not like he was desperately attempting to make her stay, more like he was just mildly curious.

"You can't guilt me into staying. He might be angry with me for a few days, but then he'll get over it. If I stay though, he could lose his life. You both could." She replied. The cold breeze came through the now open door, making her shiver, so she shut it again. He looked at her pointedly, raising an eyebrow. "It was cold." She added, defensively.

Damon made a non committal mmm sound, and they stood in silence for a few seconds.

"If I recall correctly, Katherine too stole away like this, in the middle of the night." Damon said, and Elena looked up at him, shocked. This was the first time she had heard him mention her name. According to Stefan, Damon was still deeply in love with her, but you wouldn't have known, looking at him now. At the mention of her name, no emotions were displayed on his face. He was incredibly difficult to read.

"It was the best thing she could have done." Elena said, and she was pleased to see surprise flicked in his eyes. It was the first emotion she had been able to decipher in him.

"Please, share your wisdom." Damon said drily, sitting down on the step he had been standing on. In what would have been an uncomfortable position for anyone else, he still managed to look completely graceful.

Elena paused for a second, before joining him, sitting down a few steps lower than him, so she was looking up. This was the first time she was having a real conversation with Damon, about something personal.

"If she really loved you both, as she claimed, what else could she have done? What else would you have _wanted_ her to do? Say she chose Stefan, while still being in love with you too, how would that have gone? Stefan would have been unhappy, you would have been unhappy, she would have been unhappy. Who would have benefitted?" She said, and saw Damon consider her words. She could tell he hadn't thought about it, he had just been so angry at her for leaving, he had never stopped to think what would have happened if she'd stayed.

"Do I seem happy to you now?" He finally asked her, looking at her with those intense eyes.

"Stefan does. And Katherine might be, whenever she is. So two out of three isn't bad." Elena said, half smiling. A ghost of a smile flickered across Damon's face, and Elena almost beamed. She had actually made him smile for once.

"And if you leave now, who's going to be happy?" He said, and Elena bit her lip, unsure how to reply.

"Why did you save that boy?" She asked finally, answering his question with another. He hesitated, surprised at the question. When it didn't seem like he was going to reply, she almost gave up, but then he finally spoke.

"Because you asked me to." He answered, simply.

He rose, gracefully, brushing himself down. "And I also saved _your_ life today. So if you want that to have been a wasted effort, by all means, go out there and get yourself killed. Otherwise, there's plenty of spare bedrooms upstairs." He said, turning to walk up the steps, leaving Elena sitting in the dark, completely torn.

(*)

Over a hundred miles away, Klaus gazed out of the window in his castle, listening to the news about the village being successfully burnt down. That should send her a message, he thought, satisfied.

"But the men who went to destroy it, they haven't returned yet. Nobody's heard from them."

Klaus frowned, that was unusual. Normally they would racing to get here, to boast of the success of the mission.

"Who did we send?"

"Drew and Greene. And they were going to Mystic Falls, to get Damon as well."

"Maybe Damon knows where they are then. I think it's time we paid the Salvatores a visit." Klaus said finally, smiling coldly.

 _Do people like it?_


	4. Her Confession

Elena was shrouded in depression over the next two weeks. Damon watched as his brother did everything he could possibly think of to cheer her up, but it was no use. She had become a shell of her former self, wallowing in grief over the lives that had been lost. As the days past, she rarely emerged from her bedroom, spending most of the time sobbing softly. Damon could hear her every time he walked past her room. Eventually he found himself willing Stefan to be successful, so that he could see her beautiful smile again, the one that made her eyes light up and sparkle. The one that made it impossible for anyone in the room not smile alongside her. Of course he only wanted this because Stefan wanted it, he didn't really care about her, not at all...

Exactly two weeks after the fire that had taken her village, Stefan walked into the library, where Damon was sitting, with a sense of purpose.

"We're throwing a ball." He announced, looking determined.

"A ball?" Damon repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Stefan nodded firmly. "A ball. Elena had mentioned a few months ago, that it had always been her dream to attend a real ball, and I'm going to fulfill that dream. One week from now, we're hosting a ball."

"You might be right." Damon said. "In fact, I can see it now." He raised the pitch of his voice, attempting to mimic Elena. "I did something awful to a crazy man, and now he's after me. He burnt down my entire village, killing hundreds of people, and I feel absolutely awful because it's all my fault. But yes! A ball, where I can dance and wear a pretty dress! Who cares about those people I killed, yay!"

Stefan shot him a withering look. "I know it won't fix anything. But if we could just distract her, for a few hours at least..."

Damon sighed. "It's a terrible idea. Your last idea of taking her back to her home, remind me how that went?"

"There's no danger here. We just invite the normal people we invite, apart from Klaus of course. They'll all be human. She'll be in absolutely no danger."

Damon shrugged. Every few years society required them to throw a ball, to invite the other lords and ladies in the country, purely for etiquette reasons and to show their faces. This would be no different. Plus, Stefan had that look on his face. The one that meant no amount of arguing was ever going to change his mind.

"It's the least you can do, considering the reason that she's suffering is because you burnt down her village with everyone in it." Stefan added, before striding out of the room, leaving Damon with a sour taste in his mouth.

(**)

Two days later, Damon paced across the ballroom, as the orchestra practiced their music in the corner. The decorations had mostly been done, and even he had to admit, the room looked stunning. The large chandeliers hung from the ceiling bathed the room in a shimmering light, and the royal red curtains draped across the entrance gave the whole thing a majestic feel. Stefan had gone to sort out the drinks for the evening, leaving Damon to finalise the song choices. He had forgotten how tiresome hosting a ball was, he was already bored out of his mind.

"Is that satisfactory, my Lord?" The conductor turned to ask him, and Damon nodded.

"Yes, yes. Are we finished here?"

"Just two more songs, my Lord."

Damon sighed irritably, and continued pacing. As he approached the curtains covering the entrance, he saw them being pushed aside, and a small figure slipped into the room.

"Wow. This is beautiful." Elena said, her eyes roaming the entire ballroom, wide with wonder.

But Damon's gaze was fixed elsewhere. She was noticeable thinner, with dark circles under her eyes. She clearly hadn't been getting much sleep. He felt a tiny twinge of guilt, and looked away, before it could develop into anything else. She walked further into the room until she was standing opposite Damon, swaying slightly to the music.

"They're amazing."

He forced himself to look at her, and saw that she was smiling. It wasn't the smile he had been wanting to see, her lips pulled up only a small amount and it didn't touch her eyes, but it was a smile nevertheless.

"I've never attended a ball." She said softly, looking around a little wistfully.

"Well you can attend this one."

She laughed, but it wasn't the warm, musical laugh he had heard over the first few months she had been staying with them. It was more of a disbelieving laugh, as if the thought of her attending had been so ludicrous it was laughable.

"I wouldn't even know what to do, how to act, what to say."

Damon believed her. He'd already seen that she had no idea how to act around nobility, like himself and his brother. But whereas she was embarrassed about it, he found it refreshing, grounding. Not being curtsied to every time he entered the room, not having to listen to her stumble over the 'my lords'.

She took one last look around the huge room, admiring the chandeliers, the chairs neatly arranged, the orchestra, as if she was pressing it into her memory, making sure she would never forget it. Then she turned to leave, and Damon found himself wanting to fulfill her dream, like his brother did. He didn't even realize he had grabbed her wrist until she paused, and looked back at him, questioningly.

"I can show you."

Her eyes were still wide with confusion, unsure what he meant, but she nodded anyway, hesitantly. He pulled her over to one of the chairs on the side of the room, and sat her down.

"Here, you'll be talking to the other ladies at the ball."

He strode over to the entrance, pulled back the curtain, and stood in the doorway.

"And here, Stefan and I will make our entrance." He mimicked the sound of a trumpet, from the corner of his mouth.

"Please welcome Lord Stefan Salvatore, and his dashing, handsome brother, Lord Damon Salvatore." He shouted, his voice booming across the entire room. He saw Elena's lips twitch in a smile.

"They'll actually say dashing?"

"We pay them. They'll say whatever we want them to." He replied, breaking character for a second.

"Yes, but don't they have to be truthful?"

"Hey, I'm doing this this for you." He reminded her, but he grinned. She was making jokes, which meant for at least these few minutes, she had forgotten her grief. And it was thanks to him.

"Sorry. Carry on." She told him.

"Anyway, then I will enter the room. The ladies will see how charming and handsome I am, and swarm me, trying to persuade me to ask them to dance."

He walked around the edge of the room, pretending to talk and greet different people. "But I will ignore them. For I have deemed them not good enough for me."

As he approached where she was sitting, he glanced over at her. She was watching him and trying to hold back a smile.

"And then I see her. And I'm struck by her beauty." He pretended to freeze in the middle of shaking someone's hand, his gaze directed at Elena. She looked down at the ground, blushing, while trying to press down her crumpled dress. He could tell she thought he was lying, just flattering her because he was trying to cheer her up. But the truth was, that he wasn't. Her dress was a day old, she looked tired and worn down, her hair a crumpled mess. Yet she still looked better than 90% of the ladies he had met in his lifetime. Despite what she had been through, the fire within her hadn't been extinguished and it brought her to life. It made her beautiful.

"And then I see him. And I'm smitten by his good looks."

Her words shook him out of his thoughts, and he flashed her a smile. She returned it hesitantly, but he took it as a good sign. She was joining in. He strode over to her, bowing low when he reached her.

"My lady."

She stood up, and then whispered out of the corner of her mouth. "Do I curtsy?"

He nodded, and she curtsied low. It was far from perfect, perhaps one of the worst curtsies he had ever seen. Yet she still managed to look graceful while doing it.

"My lord."

He took her hand, pressing his lips lightly to it. "May I have the honor...?" He trailed off.

"The honor of what?" She asked, and he had to hold back a smile. She hadn't been lying when she said that she had no idea how a ball worked.

"May I have this dance?" He rephrased his question, and she smiled embarrassedly, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

"Of course." She took his outstretched hand, and he led her to the center of the room.

"We're not actually going to dance, are we?" She asked, showing slight signs of worry for the first time.

"You can't refuse someone if they ask you to dance, it's considered rude."

"No ones going to ask me to dance." She replied, looking down at herself.

"You'll be fighting them off." He told her, and her lips pulled up in another smile, shyly.

"I can't dance though."

"It's easy."

He slid his left arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him, and then took her left hand in his right one.

"Put your other hand on my shoulder." He instructed, and she did so obediently.

He turned, and nodded at the orchestra, and they started playing music, softly so it wouldn't drown him out.

"Keep your back straight, but relax your shoulders. Now, follow my feet."

He stepped backwards, and she looked down, making sure she stepped where he was stepping. Her hair brushed against his cheek, as she leaned forward slightly to watch his steps. She had the typical human scent, but it was mixed with vanilla. He breathed in deeply, enjoying it.

"Head up." He eventually said, remembering he was supposed to be teaching her.

They moved across the room, in time with the music, and she quickly caught on to the rhythmic steps.

"You're a natural." He murmured, as the music sped up, heading towards its climax. She didn't reply, concentrating hard on their footsteps.

She stepped on his feet a few times, as the music got faster and faster, and he whirled her around the room.

"I can't keep up!" She said, breathlessly, but she was laughing, delight in her eyes.

"You're fine." He said, reassuringly, as they completed another lap of the room, even faster than the last one.

The music crescendoed, and he twirled her into the center of the room, pulling her closer, his nose in her hair, his cheek on her cheek.

"Now, spin." He murmured, as the music hit its peak point. He twirled her around one last time, and then he let her go, as she spun on without him. Her arms were outstretched, and she had her face turned up to the ceiling, her eyes closed. And she was laughing. Breathlessly, giddily, like she was a child again. The sound was musical, and uplifting, and made him want to join her. But he restrained himself, simply watching her with a small smile on his face. Her dress lifted up from the floor, as she spun faster and faster.

The music thundered to a stop, and she fell into him, stumbling due to the sudden stop. He caught her, steadying her as she continued to laugh, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She was breathing hard, but she hadn't stopped smiling. Not once. He could tell that she had loved every second of it, delight clearly written all over her face.

"God, I'm so dizzy." She said, and he could tell she still hadn't caught her breath. She leaned her head into his chest, her laughter finally ceasing, as she focused on slowing her heart rate down again. His hands instinctively circled her, protectively, before he even realized what he was doing.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, both of them quiet. The sudden silence was deafening, after the music, and he could hear every beat of her heart, every breath she drew. Finally she stepped back, her smile still there. He guessed it had never gone.

"That was amazing. Thank you." She said, brushing her hair out of her face. She smiled at him, and he could see joy written in her eyes for the first time since he had met her. "Now I know what a ball is like." She added, grinning. Her eyes were twinkling, her face flush with excitement.

She stepped closer, and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He froze. It had been so long since anyone had hugged him, he didn't even know how to react. For once, he found himself being the one who was unsure of himself, rather than her. When had he last been hugged? He had no idea. His mother probably. She had died when he was 17. His father had definitely never hugged him. His arms stayed down by his side, but she didn't seem to notice.

She stepped back, her face still glowing. She was so close that he could feel her breath on his cheek. It smelt sweet, like apples. A curl of her hair drifted across her face, and she attempted to blow it away, without success. He didn't even realize he had moved, until his fingertips brushed her cheek. He twirled the curl around his finger and gently tucked it behind her ear.

When he met her gaze again, her smile had faded, and a different expression was written on her face, one he couldn't read. He heard her heart rate quicken, and she took a deep breath, as if trying to calm her nerves. She moved even closer, until her face was mere millimeters away from his. He felt as if her eyes were searching him, searching his soul. And for a single second, he felt himself wanting her to. He felt like opening himself up to her. He felt like showing her every single part of her, the good and the bad. And it was mostly bad. He wanted to expose himself, leave himself entirely vulnerable. And most of all, he wanted her to accept him. To not turn away repulsed, as he feared she would. He found himself yearning for her to see him, to judge him, to accept him and to want him.

But no. He was Damon Salvatore. And Damon Salvatore did not yearn. He did not expose himself. How could she search his soul, when he didn't have one? He was a monster. To leave himself vulnerable was to be weak. And he was not weak. The wall that had briefly come crumbling down, he built back up, stronger and harder around him. He felt himself stiffen, his eyes hardened, and he saw her eyes widen with confusion. He stepped back from her, briefly met her gaze before striding out of the room, slamming the door hard behind him. He heard the boom as it shut echo around the room.

Within seconds he was back in his room, the boom of a second slammed door ringing in his ears. He paced back and forth angrily, his mind whirring. What the hell had just happened? How had he let himself act so weak, in front of that girl? How had she managed to bring down his wall? The one he had spent year erecting around himself?

He didn't know what had just happened, but he knew one thing. Letting that girl into their castle had been a bad mistake. And he didn't make mistakes.

(**)

"- can't possibly. Excuse me, please."

Elena's voice drifted out of the living room, as Damon descended the stairs. He paused, not wanting to make his presence known. She had been ignoring him for the past 4 days, since he had left her alone in the ballroom. She seemed to have taken it personally, and was now intent on letting him know how angry she was.

"I organized this for you though! You have to attend!" Stefan sounded confused and hurt. Not an unusual combination for his brother.

"I didn't ask you to do this though. There was no need." Elena on the other hand just sounded resigned. Worn down.

"I hated seeing you unhappy. I couldn't bear it. This ball was your dream, you told me so yourself. I thought it would help. And it was working! Don't pretend it wasn't. Over the last few days, you've been happier. Your step has been lighter, your smile warmer."

"I know, and I'm grateful. But just the idea of the ball was enough for me. I got to see the decorations go up, I heard the orchestra play, I even danced to their music..." Her voice trailed off, and Damon closed his eyes and saw them both. Twirling across the ballroom, her laughter bouncing off the walls. Her quiet voice brought him back to the present. "The experience was wonderful. I don't need the actual thing."

"The ball is tomorrow. I can't cancel."

"And I'm not asking you to! I just hope you can excuse me from attending."

"Something's changed, hasn't it? What happened?"

"Nothing happened. Believe me."

Damon detected a trace of annoyance in those words. Or was it sadness?

"Did my brother say something, about you being there? Ignore him, he's a jerk."

"Damon didn't do anything." Damon thought he heard her voice soften, ever so slightly, but he was probably imagining it.

"Then come! Please." Stefan's voice sounded desperate, and Damon felt a twinge of sympathy.

This girl had really done something to him. He never felt sympathy.

"I'm sorry, Stefan." Her voice sounded sad, as if she was genuinely sorry to hurt him like this.

He heard a rustling of clothes, and then she emerged from the room, her head down, walking towards the stairs. Stefan was half a second behind her, following quickly. She looked up and saw Damon, freezing in the hallway. Her eyes lit up for less than a second before an expression of anger crossed her face.

"You can tell him. Don't be embarrassed." He said, walking the remaining distance down the stairs. She watched him warily, not saying a word. Stefan looked up, confused.

"Tell me what?"

Damon went towards his brother, walking past Elena. His shoulder brushed hers, and he felt her stiffen. He clapped his brother on the back, a friendly gesture.

"She doesn't have a dress to wear. And no money to buy one with. She was too embarrassed about asking, so she decided not to go."

Stefan's face softened, and he took her hand, turning her to face him.

"Is this true?"

She shot Damon a look that clearly said 'What the hell are you doing?' But she didn't deny it.

"I won't give you the money then. I know what you're like about your pride. But I won't let a dress be the reason you can't come. Take Damon. He'll get one for you." Stefan said gently, pulling her in for a hug. Elena looked doubtful, but she didn't argue.

Damon sighed. Doing one nice thing for his brother had led to Stefan volunteering him to go into town. See, this was why he generally didn't do nice things.

(*)

The walk to the market was painfully awkward. Elena walked quickly, as if she didn't want to spend any more time alone with him than was strictly necessary. He could keep up easily though, an advantage of being a vampire. But he knew that had he been human, he definitely would have been struggling. She was steaming through the forest. He could feel the anger coming off her in waves, but he had no idea why she was so furious with him. For walking out on her in the ballroom? Or forcing her to attend the ball? Who knew how this girl's mind worked?

"So...any idea what color dress you're going for?"

He decided to attempt to start a conversation, but the glare she shot him quickly showed him that wasn't a good idea. He was clearly getting the silent treatment. He shrugged and gave up. It was nothing to him anyway.

The walk that should have taken 10 minutes, ended up taking 5. And they were soon in the market.

"Here, take this bag. Choose whichever dress you want and - "

Damon didn't even get to finish his sentence, before she snatched the cloth bag in his hand and stormed off to the other side of the market. Amused, he walked away. That girl knew how to hold a grudge.

"Trouble in paradise?" Bonnie asked drily, as he approached her stall.

"Paradise?" Damon raised an eyebrow at her.

She scoffed. "Come on. I know about how you saved her from that fire, from Klaus's men. How you convinced her to stay."

"Are you spying on me?"

"Hey, I'm a witch. I have plenty of ways to get information." She replied, grinning mischievously at him.

"Well then you're not doing a good job of getting all the information. I did those things for my brother. Idiot has gone and fallen in love with her."

"Sure." She said, in a way that made it seem like she hadn't believed a word he said.

"I'm not lying. Go see for yourself. He goes all gooey when she walks into the room."

Bonnie leaned back, resting her elbows on the counter behind her, and grinning lazily. "I believe you. I just don't think he's the only who goes gooey."

"How long have you known me? I don't do gooey."

"I know. That's what makes this so interesting. What has she _done_ to you?"

"She's made my life hell, that's what."

"She's made your life _interesting_."

"Right. And you can tell all this from what? The 10 minutes you've spent with her?"

"I can tell all this from the fact that in the last two minutes, you've glanced her way every 10 seconds."

Damon paused, forcing himself to keep his eyes on Bonnie, and away from _her_. She had been at the jewelry stand, clutching the cloth bag tightly to her chest. In it, he had seen the edge of a dress peeking out. She had chosen quickly.

"I care about her, because _my brother_ cares about her. I care about her because I have to."

"I'd say you're feeling a little more than care."

His lips twitched in a smile. He had to hand it to her, the witch knew how to argue.

"There's no point in my even saying anything, is there? It's impossible to win an argument against you." Damon said, grinning at her.

Her own smile faded, and she leaned forward again.

"Damon, I'm not trying to win an argument here. I'm trying to get you to face your own feelings."

"I have no feelings to face." He snapped back at her. He was fighting the urge to glance over at Elena, to see what she was doing.

"So everything you did was for your brother?"

He nodded, warily. He sensed that she was coming at this from another angle.

"If you help Stefan protect her, eventually Klaus will catch up to you. And then all three of you are dead. But hand her over, and yes, she will probably die. But Stefan will live. And you will live. Two out of three isn't bad. The Damon I know would have taken those odds."

"Yeah, and Stefan will hate me forever."

"So? He would be _alive_. A year ago, that's all that would have mattered to you."

"Well maybe I've changed. Maybe I've decided I actually like having my brother around."

"Yes, you have changed. But not because of Stefan."

Her eyes flicked behind him, and he knew who she was looking at. He sighed, not bothering to turn around, knowing who her gaze was directed at. But then he saw Bonnie's eyes widen. She looked back at him. There was worry in her eyes.

"She's gone."

Damon whirled around, his eyes searching the small market. There was no sign of her at all.

"She's probably just wandered away." Bonnie said, but he was already striding across the clearing, towards the jewellery stand where he had last seen her. He was gone so quickly, he missed the look of sadness that passed over Bonnie's face.

"The girl who was just here, where did she go?" He asked the shopkeeper, who was deep in conversation with another customer.

"There was no girl here." The man answered, clearly annoyed at being interrupting.

Damon caught a look at his eyes before he turned away. He had been compelled. He would be no use to him. He turned, about to walk to the next stand, when something on the ground caught his eye. He bent down, reaching into the mud and retrieving the cloth bag he had given to Elena. It had been lying on the ground, trampled. The dress inside was covered in mud. He knew one thing for sure. She wouldn't have just dropped it. An icy hand gripped his heart, and he felt something he hadn't felt in a very long time. He felt fear.

Pushing away any distressing thoughts, he turned his head, focusing on the different scents in the market, until he found the one he was looking for. Vanilla, with a tiny trace of cinnamon. Elena. He looked back at Bonnie, who was watching him with a worried expression on her face. He couldn't ask her to risk her life for a girl she barely knew. However much he wanted to. He gave a reassuring nod, his outward expression the complete opposite of how he felt on the inside. Taking a breath, he located the direction of the scent, and followed it deeper into the woods.

After 5 minutes, he heard her screams.

Fear gripped him, and he ran. Faster. Until he emerged into a small clearing, north of the market.

The first thing he saw was the blood pouring from Elena's neck. The second was the three vampires surrounding her, blood smeared across their mouths. And the third was pure, white-hot rage.

Elena was swaying on her feet, her eyes barely open. But when she saw him, her lips pulled up in the smallest smile.

"Took your time." She whispered, before her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground. The three vampires around her didn't bother to catch her, letting her drop to the ground. Her heart rate was dangerously low, as Damon stepped forwards, snarling.

"Damon Salvatore. You've got some explaining to do."

The first one stepped forwards, establishing himself as the leader. The other two stayed near Elena, one on either side of her unmoving body. Damon moved to the nearest tree, snapping off a branch and fashioning himself a crude stake. The leader smiled, coldly, as he watched him.

"That won't help you. In case you hadn't noticed, it's three against one."

"If there were any less of you, it wouldn't be a fair fight." Damon said, his eyes hardening.

They laughed. A cold, condescending laugh. As if they couldn't believe he would even think that. The leader whipped out his own stake, gazing at it with a small smile.

"Before we kill you, tell me this. Why did you turn on Klaus? He gave you everything you have." The leader asked, his eyes showing genuine curiosity.

"Wrong question. You should be asking yourselves why you haven't already turned on him."

And then Damon moved. The element of surprise was important in any fight, Damon had learnt this long ago. Back when he was just a child, fighting off the bullies picking on his younger brother. Talking was a human weakness. People just couldn't help it. Start a conversation, and the opponent assumes you're going to finish it before the fighting starts, they assume you're going to be fair. But Damon Salvatore didn't fight fair. If he had, he would have been dead long ago. So strike fast, and strike hard. It was the rule he lived by. And it was the rule that kept him alive.

Before the leader realized what he was doing, he was on him, throwing him into the ground. But then his reactions kicked in, and he threw Damon back off him, into the other two waiting behind. Damon landed lightly on his feet, spinning around and head butting the first guy. He didn't even look to see how he reacted, instead turning immediately and punching the other guy in the kidney. The men were fast, but he was faster. He was a Salvatore.

Within minutes, both of them were neutralized, staked and lying immobile on the ground. And it was just him and the leader. They circled each other, both snarling. Damon didn't know when his fangs had emerged during the fight, but they were fully out now, making him look fearsome. The leader made the first move, leaping out at Damon. He knocked the stake out of Damon's hand, and pushed him to the ground. He stabbed him in the chest, narrowly missing the heart. Pain shot through Damon, and he groaned. But he wasn't about to give up. Roaring, he used all the strength he had to push back, throwing his opponent across the clearing, attacking him in a flurry of throws and punches. Eventually Damon started to gain the upper hand, pushing him up against a tree.

"Let me go now, and I'll convince Klaus to spare you." The leader said, sensing it was coming to an end.

"Go to hell." Damon snarled, shoving his hand into his chest, and pulling out the heart. It was over in seconds, and Damon stepped back. His gaze flickered to Elena, and he realized with a start she was awake. Her eyes were wide with horror, her heart rate had rocketed and she was breathing hard.

"What _are_ you?"

He realized what he must look like, his fangs out, his shirt covered in blood, a still heart in the palm of his hand. He remembered in the ballroom, when he had wanted to expose himself, wanted her to judge him. Now he wanted anything but that. He didn't want her to see him like this, to know who he was.

He let the heart fall to the ground.

"We have to get out of here." He said, walking over to her. She flinched as he approached, and the sight made him stiffen. For so long, he had wanted the grief to leave her eyes. And now it had, it was replaced with fear. She feared him.

"Elena, I don't have time to explain. And I know you're scared. But we have to go. _Now._ "

He strode over to her, ripped apart his wrist and pressed it against her mouth. She struggled violently, but he forced the blood down, before picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder. Racing through the forest, he quickly reached the secret passageway into the castle, and within minutes, they had reached the large hall. He set her down, and she stepped back. Though her eyes were flashing, her cheeks had reddened again, which meant his blood was doing its job.

"What are you?" She repeated her question from earlier.

"A vampire."

And then he explained it to her. About vampires, about drinking blood, compulsion, the stakes. Everything he could think of.

She was quiet for a long time. Her face was expressionless; he would have given anything to know what she was thinking. He was about to think he had completely overwhelmed her, when she finally spoke, her voice quiet.

"Why did you walk out on me in the ballroom?"

"I tell you I'm a vampire, and _that's_ your question?"

His lips turned up in a half smile. She was forever surprising him.

"You explained everything about vampires. There's nothing left to ask."

"You don't seem very surprised."

She laughed, slightly hysterically. "Oh trust me, my mind is probably going to explode soon. I'm terrified out of my mind."

Her voice shook slightly, and he could tell she was speaking the truth.

"But you just saved my life. And that's the second time you've done that. So I think you're on my side." She added.

He paused, in admiration. She was being completely logical, rational. She had been through so much, he supposed not much could throw her off.

"So before I completely lose it, I want to know why you walked out."

"I don't think that's important right now."

"Well I do." She shot back.

"Elena, you've lost a lot of blood. You need to rest."

"Stop changing the subject!" She shouted, and he met her gaze, surprised.

After everything he had told her, after everything that had happened, he had expected fear, wonder, or maybe curiosity. But all he saw in her eyes was anger.

"You're clearly hysterical, you've been through a lot. You should - "

"I know why you walked out. I know why you don't want to face me."

She marched forwards, until she was right in front of him.

"Because you felt something." She added, quietly.

He laughed, humorlessly. "Just go to bed, Elena."

"Stop it!" She shouted, shoving him. He looked at her, in shock. She had just found out he was a vampire, a monster, and she was actually pushing him. He could snap her neck without even blinking, and she was actually daring to touch him, to shove him.

"Elena, don't." He snarled, quietly. He was starting to get angry, and he could feel his fangs start to emerge. He had to focus hard to stop them.

She smiled victoriously. "Good. Get angry. Show some goddamn emotion for once!"

"You don't want me to get angry." He hissed at her, trying to control his rage.

"Why do you want me to be scared of you?"

"I don't. You _should_ be scared!"

"Why? Are you going to hurt me? I _dare_ you to." She shot back at him, her eyes flashing.

"Elena, I'm a vampire! I'm not human. I'm a monster."

"Does that mean you don't feel things? That you don't have a soul?"

" _Yes."_

"You're lying! I know you felt something in that ballroom. I saw it."

"Why are you doing this, Elena?" He asked, breathing hard.

"Because I can't take it anymore! I can't take you just putting up a wall whenever we start to get close, because you're too cowardly to face your own feelings!"

He snarled again at the word coward. No one had ever spoken to him in this way. Not since his father.

"I can't take it when you pretend you have no feelings! I can't watch you push me away! Not when - "

"Not when what?!" He shouted back at her. Both of their voices had increased steadily in volume throughout the conversation.

"Not when I think I'm falling for you." She said, her voice suddenly going soft again.

He didn't even realize he had moved, until his mouth found hers. A spark shot through him, when her lips touched his, as his hands pulled her close. He pushed her hard, against the wall, and she lifted her hands, running them through his hair. Her lips tasted sweet against his, and he growled softly.

And then it was over. It took all the strength he had to step back, step away from her. He turned around, unable to look into those strong, beautiful eyes any longer.

"Damon, don't." She said, her voice worried. She could tell something bad was coming. How did she know him so well?

He turned back around slowly, still avoiding her gaze.

"I'm not good for you." He told her quietly, looking down at the ground.

"You've looked after me for months. You've saved my life _twice._ You took me in when I had no one else, sheltered me against whoever's after me. _How_ can you think you're not good for me?"

Damon looked away, towards the window. She was so naïve, so wonderfully innocent. How could she still trust him, after knowing what he was? He hadn't taken her in to shelter her, he'd planned to hand her over! It had been Stefan who had saved her life. Not him.

"Because I know I'm not. Stefan _is._ I'm a monster, I - "

"Stop saying that! If being a vampire makes you a monster, then Stefan is just as much - "

"No. Stefan is _good,_ in a way I will never be. He will do right by you. He'll protect you."

"I don't love Stefan! Damon, I - "

"ENOUGH!" Damon roared, and she shrunk back, finally showing some fear. He couldn't bear to hear her say anything she would regret. Because he knew she would regret it. Who could love him?

"Stefan should have been the one to tell you about vampires. There's still so much you don't know. This isn't how it should have gone." He murmured, running a hand through his hair. She looked up at him, confused.

He strode over to her, lifting her chin up and finally meeting her gaze. She realized half a second too late what he was doing, and her look of confusion turned into one of horror.

"Don't you dare, Damon! Don't take this away from me." She said, trying to struggle out of his grip, but he was too strong.

"I'm sorry, Elena. But you were right, I did feel something. And that's dangerous." He said softly, frowning. He hadn't felt anything in so long. It was weakness.

"Damon, stop it!" She fought harder, but he held her still. "I won't know about vampires! I deserve to know, Damon!" She added, desperately. But he had made up his mind.

"We went to the market. You found a dress. They're going to send it here tomorrow. We came back and you went straight to bed, since you were feeling tired. Nothing else happened." He murmured, his compulsion making her eyes widen. "Now go to bed."

He let go of her, and she walked out of the room obediently. Damon watched her go, as he felt a twinge in his heart that he hadn't felt in a long long time.

 _Ok I know this chapter was quite long, it's just that a lot happened and I didn't really want to split it up. But please review if you're still with me, your reviews keep the story going!_


	5. Her Capture

_(Thanks for letting me know about the issue with the chapter, I've reloaded it now, hopefully it works this time!)_

It happened so suddenly, it took Damon by surprise. One minute he was sitting on a chair, gazing out the window, the next he was flying through the air, slamming into a wall.

"I _told_ you not to touch her. She's not a blood bank for you, she's different. She's _special_." Stefan snarled at his brother, pressing him against the wall.

Damon paused, confused. Stefan couldn't possibly know about the kiss, could he? Nobody had been there, apart from himself and Elena. And Elena had been compelled. So what was his brother talking about?

Damon straightened his shirt, and then flicked his wrist, sending Stefan flying backwards. His brother was strong, but he was still no match for him. Stefan got to his feet, still poised for attack.

"What are you talking about?" Damon asked, before Stefan could launch his next attack.

"I saw this bite marks! I know you fed on her."

Damon sighed, mostly with annoyance at his brother for jumping to conclusions, but also very slightly with relief. The guilt of having kissed Elena was really weighing on him.

"It wasn't me. It was Klaus's men." Damon said, quickly narrating what had happened in the market. He left out everything that occurred when they reached the castle though.

Stefan ran a hand through his hair, worried. "That was close. How long can we protect her for? You might not always be there. What if next time he gets her?"

Damon hated the tense feeling that shot through him at the thought of something happening to Elena. What was wrong with him? He hadn't felt like this about anyone since…well since Katherine. He thought back to Elena's words. Her accusation that he was too scared to face his own feelings. Was she right? It didn't matter, anyway. He had compelled her. She didn't remember any of it. There was no going back.

"We should cancel the ball." Damon said, avoiding his brother's question.

"No. You don't realize how excited she is about this ball." His brother protested.

Damon thought back to the dance he had shared with Elena, in preparation for the ball. He knew exactly how excited she was.

"We just need to be more careful." Stefan added, unaware of his brother's thoughts. Damon nodded as Stefan strode from the room. He heard him enter Elena's room, and to his irritation, he felt a stab of jealousy as he listened to their murmured voices.

(**)

Elena struggled, reaching behind her to tie the lace at the top of her dress. She was not used to wearing such intricate dresses, and she was starting to understand why all the female nobility had multiple maids to help them get ready. It was the night of the ball, and though she was unbelievably excited, she couldn't help but feel something was missing. For the past few days, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, that something had been taken from her.

"Need some help?" The smooth voice drifted through the doorway, as she saw Damon leaning there. He was watching her with a look of amusement.

Elena turned back to the mirror, as Damon walked over to her. As he skillfully tied the lace, she thought back to the day she had first met him. When he had walked into Alaric's cottage, on the night when she had arrived. He had helped her with her dress that day too. She remembered he had walked into the bedroom, soaking wet due to the incessant rain. She remembered her first thought had been that this man was ridiculously and unfairly handsome.

Damon's fingers brushed over the back of her neck, sending a shiver down her spine and pulling her out of her thoughts. After their dance at the ballroom, she had felt things, things she had never felt in her life. But then he had acted so coldly towards her in the days leading up tonight, that she was sure she had misunderstood.

"Beautiful." He murmured, as she looked at their reflection in the mirror. She was suddenly aware how close he was standing behind her, she could feel his breath on her cheek. She found herself unable to say anything.

"Elena, I have something for you." Stefan's voice called out cheerfully, as he entered her bedroom.

Damon stepped back, allowing Stefan to take his place, where he had been standing behind her. Elena pushed away whatever she had been feeling, and tried to concentrate on what Stefan was saying.

As he draped the beautiful necklace around her neck, Elena was painfully aware of Damon watching them, his face as expressionless as ever.

(*)

Elena stood near the drinks table, gazing around the large ballroom. It was filled with people, and she could hear the soft conversations, the occasional laugh and clinking of glass. This had been her dream for as long as she could remember, to be a part of this world, to dine and mingle with nobility. But now that she was here, she realized how much she didn't belong. All she wanted was to be strolling through the gardens, conversing with Stefan, or to sit in the library, discussing a book with Damon. That had been her world for the past few months, and she wanted to return to the safety of it.

She took another sip of champagne, as Stefan walked over to her.

"Enjoying yourself?" He asked, looking concerned.

She felt bad, she knew how much effort Stefan had put into organizing this for her, but the truth was that she wasn't enjoying herself. She just didn't belong here.

"Thank you for this. It looks beautiful." Elena replied, avoiding the question, but Stefan didn't seem to notice.

The trumpets sounded, indicating another entrance. They had been going every five minutes or so, whenever a Lord or Lady entered the ball. And this one was no different. Elena turned to look, as they announced the arrival of some person named Lord Klaus Mikaelson. The man who entered was smartly dressed, with dark blonde hair, and sparkling blue eyes, similar in a way to Damon's.

Elena turned back to Stefan, when she noticed a look of terror had passed over his face.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, confused. What had happened?

He suddenly seemed to remember she was there, and he attempted to smile, though Elena could still see concern in his eyes.

"No, nothing. Just, excuse me for a minute." He said, nodding to her, and then striding away. Confused, she turned back to the table, as a young gentleman walked over to her and started conversing with her.

(*)

"You seem to be growing younger by the day! Is it possible for someone to still be as beautiful now, as they were ten years ago?" Damon said, grinning at one of the ladies from a neighboring town.

"Oh, Damon. I do so miss you." The lady replied, smiling at the flattery.

"Well, my brother certainly has a way with the women." Stefan said, slipping into the conversation. "Could I just borrow him for a few moments?"

They walked a few meters away, making sure that nobody could overhear.

"What is he doing here?" Damon hissed, as they watched Klaus canvas the room, making pleasant conversation.

"I have no idea! We need to get Elena out of here though, before he sees her." Stefan said, watching Klaus's every movement.

Damon nodded, in agreement. As they started to move towards her, Klaus appeared in front of them.

"My favorite brothers – the Salvatores!" Klaus said, smiling pleasantly.

"Klaus! How good of you to join!" Stefan said, shaking his hand.

"Yes, though I do wonder when I was going to get my invitation? Lucky I dropped in when I did, I might have missed this little party completely." Klaus was smiling, though there was an air of menace in his words.

"Yes. Lucky." Damon said, smiling forcedly.

"Damon, I do want to have a word with you. I heard two of my men enlisted you to help with a task I set them?" Klaus said, clapping Damon on the shoulder.

"Well, it doesn't seem like I need to be here for this conversation. Excuse me." Stefan said, spotting the opportunity to leave.

He nodded at Klaus, and then headed towards Elena, who was engaged in conversation with someone. Making sure that Klaus was still distracted talking to Damon, Stefan walked Elena out into the corridor. He couldn't think of any good reason to tell her that she needed to leave the ball, so though he hated it, he was forced to use compulsion. She had no idea who Klaus was, or that he was the one who wanted her dead, so she didn't realize the danger she was in.

He compelled her to think she was tired, and so had decided to leave early. He only left her side, when she was back in her room, safely in bed. She should be safe there, he thought to himself. Klaus didn't have any reason to suspect that they were hiding her, so he shouldn't even have been on the lookout here. It was pure coincidence that he had turned up at the castle tonight.

He returned to the ballroom, to see that Damon was still deep in conversation with Klaus. He looked up when he entered, and Stefan nodded at him, letting him know that Elena was safe. To his surprise, a look of relief passed over Damon's face. Stefan grinned; he knew Damon would start to care about Elena, after he had gotten to know her.

Damon eventually managed to extract himself from the conversation, after persuading Klaus he didn't know what had happened to his men. He told him that they had burned down the village as planned, and then they had all parted ways. He had no idea what had happened to the other two, or so he had told Klaus.

"You look deep in thought."

Damon looked down to see Bonnie grinning at him. Pleasantly surprised, he returned the smile.

"What are you doing here?"

"A grand ball being thrown next door to me, and I don't show up? Do you not know me at all?" She replied, chuckling.

"How did you get in though? Without an invitation?" Damon asked, finishing the champagne in his hand.

"Again, do you not know me at all?" Bonnie said, winking at him.

He chuckled, as Bonnie pulled him onto the dance floor. They fit smoothly in, amongst all the other couples swaying to the orchestra.

"So why do you look so worried?" She asked, after a few moments of dancing in silence.

Damon twirled her, so that he could keep Klaus in his eye line, making sure that he wasn't listening.

"Klaus is here." He murmured, as quietly as he could.

He had expected shock or confusion, but a look of sadness crossed Bonnie's face instead. It was quickly gone though. She remained silent for a few more minutes, before speaking again.

"You really care about her, don't you?" She eventually said, looking up at him as they danced.

He looked at her, surprised. "I told you, Stefan lov-" He started, but Bonnie cut in, shaking her head.

"I thought we were friends. If you can't be honest with me, who else have you got?" She said quietly.

"We _are_ friends, Bon. What's wrong with you?"

"I was joking before, about your feelings for her, you know. It was fun to see you get uncomfortable. But this is different. You're actually in love with her." Bonnie said, looking at him disbelievingly.

"Bonnie, I admire and respect you. But I really think you have a hearing defect. _Stefan_ is in love with her. Not me."

She met his gaze, studying him thoughtfully. He felt uncomfortable under her scrutiny, but why? What was she possibly going to discover by staring at him? He may have known her since childhood, but nobody could read him that thoroughly, could they?

"You know, I don't even think you're lying to me. I think you're lying to yourself."

 _You're too cowardly to face your own feelings_

Elena's shouted words immediately drifted through his mind, their similarity to Bonnie's words hitting a nerve.

"Stop trying to analyze me, Bennett. I've been around a lot longer than you have. I think I know my own feelings." He snapped at her.

"Give me a break, Damon. How can someone so smart, be so incredibly stupid?" She said, letting go of him mid-song and storming off. Damon sighed, and hurried after her. She may be unbelievably annoying at times, but she was his best friend. He cared about her feelings, and at the moment, she clearly wasn't feeling good.

On the other side of the room, Stefan was busy fulfilling his duties as host, and making sure that he had greeted all the guests in the room. As both of the brothers were caught up in different situations, neither of them noticed Klaus slip out of the room.

(*)

"Are you sure?" Klaus asked, as the man who had brought him the news nodded.

"I saw him take her upstairs. She matched the description." He answered.

Klaus nodded, and hurried up the staircase. He didn't have much time, as the brothers were sure to notice his absence soon. He just needed to make sure it was her. He hadn't believed it at first, when one of his men had spotted her at the market, in the company of Stefan Salvatore. The brothers wouldn't betray him, would they? He had given them everything, taken them in and trained them. He had basically brought them up after their parents had died. They wouldn't lie to him, would they? It was entirely possible this girl was just a random human that they had taken in. She may not be the one he was looking for.

He followed the scent down multiple corridors, arriving in front of one of the doors. Within a few seconds of him knocking, the door swung open.

She was beautiful, he had to admit. She was still wearing her ball gown; the midnight blue shade suited her olive skin perfectly, as her hair hung in soft waves down one shoulder.

"Yes?" She asked, looking confused. She showed no recognition of him, which he found surprising. He assumed that what she had done was to attack him in some way, but she seemed to have no idea who he was.

Before she had a chance to scream for help, he slammed her into the wall, knocking her unconscious. He then slung her limp body over his shoulder, and jumped out her window, landing lightly on his feet. His carriage was already waiting for him, and within minutes, he was on his way.

It had been too easy, he thought to himself, looking back at the castle. People were leaving, as the ball drew to a close. He had so many questions. Why had the brothers been protecting her in the first place? And why had the protection been so bad? He knew them, he had trained them himself. When they had a plan, they could execute it perfectly. So what had they been distracted with, that had caused them to fail?

(*)

Stefan ran through the ballroom, looking for his brother, as the last of the guests pulled away in their carriages. He spotted him in a corner, in a heated discussion with Bonnie. As he drew close, they fell silent. A small part of him wondered what they had been talking about, but he had bigger things on his mind.

"Elena's gone." He said, breathlessly, reaching the pair.

To anyone else, it would have seemed as if Damon had no reaction. But Stefan had known him for a long time, and he noticed the tension in his eyes.

"How?" Damon said, anger simmering under his words.

"I should be asking you that, _brother._ Were you not watching Klaus?" Stefan snapped back, accusingly.

He noticed Damon glance at Bonnie, who looked away, guiltily.

"I thought you got her away! You said she was safe!"

"She was! Klaus found her anyway."

"Well then she wasn't _safe_ , was she?" Damon said, through gritted teeth.

"Enough. There's no point in us getting angry at each other. I have to go after her." Stefan said, pacing the empty ballroom, frustrated.

"Don't be reckless." Bonnie said, speaking up. "Klaus found her, which means he knows you betrayed him. You go after her alone, he'll kill you." She said, looking worried.

"He won't go alone. I'm going too." Damon said, looking determined.

Stefan looked up gratefully at his brother, but he was looking away, out of the window.

"You're both crazy. You do _know_ Klaus, don't you? He puts loyalty above all else. He will kill you both! She's not worth it!" Bonnie protested.

"She is." Stefan said quietly. He strode from the room.

Damon moved to follow him, but Bonnie grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

"Please don't go. Please." She pleaded, and Damon was surprised to see tears in her eyes.

The thought of Elena alone with Klaus, in his captivity, made Damon's fists clench, and he shook Bonnie off.

"I have to." He said.

Bonnie quickly grabbed hold of him again. "Please, I can't see you die!"

"Then come with us! Help us!" Damon said, turning to face Bonnie. Though he was willing to take on Klaus alone with Stefan, he wasn't stupid. He knew their chances would greatly improve if they had a witch on their side.

Bonnie let go of his wrist, looking away sadly. "She may be everything to you. But she's not worth risking my life for."

Damon paused, but he didn't know what to say. He didn't blame her, she hardly knew her. If he had been in her position, he would have done the exact same thing. After a few awkward moments of silence, he turned and left, running to catch up with Stefan.

(**)

Elena woke up with a pounding headache. As her eyes adjusted, she saw that she was in a large barn. About 6 or 7 men lined the edges of the barn; one more was standing behind her, and opposite her, stood a man and a woman, staring at her. The woman looked curious, whereas the man was staring at her with hatred.

"You're that Lord, from the ball. Klaus." Elena croaked out, as she rubbed her head where she could tell a bruise was forming. "You're the one who's been trying to kill me?"

"Good observation skills." Klaus said, drily.

"Why? What did I ever do to you?"

"I think we should wait for the Salvatore brothers, don't you? I have a few questions for them." He replied, his voice cold as ice.

"You know them?"

Klaus grinned, as if something had just occurred to him. "Know them? I more than _know_ them. You'll be glad I decided to wait for them, because I think you'll have some questions for them too."

She stared at him, confused. How did Klaus know Damon and Stefan? How did they know him? And why did he want her dead? She had so many questions, and it seemed only the Salvatores could answer them.

They didn't need to wait long. Eventually, the doors came crashing down, and Stefan and Damon ran in. They put up a good fight, but they were hopelessly outnumbered. And within minutes, both brothers were held in chokeholds, as Klaus watched, amused.

"Why do you want her dead, Klaus? What did she do to you?" Damon snarled, struggling without success to get free.

"I think that's something you should have asked her before you decided to betray me." Klaus snarled back.

"We didn't betray you!" Stefan said.

"Don't. You knew I wanted her dead, and you tried to protect her. Did you really think I wouldn't find out? Why would you even risk your lives for her?"

"I love her." Stefan said quietly.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "You betrayed me for love? I'm disappointed. I thought I raised you better than that. After knowing what she did, you still love her?"

"We don't know! Why did you compel her to forget?" Stefan asked, looking worriedly at Elena, checking that she wasn't hurt.

Klaus paused, confused, before striding over to Elena. He roughly pulled her up, looking into her eyes. The brothers were right. An Original had compelled her.

"It wasn't you who compelled her, was it?" Damon said, understanding dawning. "You don't even know what happened, you - "

"SHE KILLED MY BROTHER!" Klaus shouted, furious.

There was silence for a few minutes, before Damon spoke up again.

"You're telling me that she, a human, managed to overwhelm an Original vampire?" He said, disbelief in his voice.

"One of my men saw it happen." Klaus said, but Damon heard the doubt that had crept into his voice. The new information that she had been compelled, had surprised him.

"Wait, so you mean to tell me you've been hunting this girl for months because of something that you didn't even see happen?"

"She did kill him. Her scent was all over the stake." Klaus said, but it sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

"Well, why don't you actually find out what happened? Remove the compulsion." Stefan said, finally speaking up.

Klaus paused, considering, before he finally nodded.

"Remove it." He instructed the witch beside him.

"Wait!" Damon said, and Stefan looked at his brother with confusion. What was wrong? He knew Elena. He knew she wouldn't have killed someone, not without a reason. Once the compulsion was removed, they would be able to find out the true story. So why was Damon against it?

Klaus looked at Damon with amusement. "Well, well. It looks like there's something in Elena's memories that Damon is eager to hide. This is quite exciting. Hurry up." He added, to the witch.

She moved in front of Elena, and started muttering quickly under her breath. Within a few seconds, Elena started screaming. She fell to the ground, covering her head as if shielding herself. But it did no good, the pain carried on.

Damon hated that he couldn't help her, that he couldn't go to her, protect her. But the vampire holding him was clearly older and stronger, and all his struggles did no good.

Eventually Elena collapsed, breathing hard. The witch nodded to Klaus, and returned to her position behind him. After a few seconds, she finally lifted her head, and looked directly at Damon. He could tell by her expression that she had remembered everything. She knew what he had done. He wished he could know what she was thinking.

Klaus strode over to Elena, grabbing her shoulders and lifting her up to her feet.

"What happened to my brother?" He asked, staring directly at her to make sure his compulsion worked.

"He compelled me to kill him and then forget about it." Elena said automatically.

Klaus howled with fury and grief. " _Why_ would he want to kill himself?"

Nobody said anything, as Klaus struggled to contain his anger.

"He said he was a monster." Elena eventually said, quietly. Klaus hadn't compelled her, but she wanted to tell him anyway. He deserved to know. Finn was his brother.

Klaus seethed with anger, and hit Elena hard, sending her flying back to the ground.

"LET HER GO!" Damon shouted, struggling as hard as he possibly could. But it was still of no use.

"Well that's just not an option." Klaus said, his voice returning to a normal volume. "All three of you are going to die."

Elena looked up, terrified. Stefan looked equally tense, but Damon's face was still expressionless.

"But first, I want to know what Damon was so keen to hide." Klaus added, crouching down in front of Elena again.

"Nothing." Elena quickly said, but Klaus was already shaking his head.

"Nice try. What did Damon compel you to forget?" He asked, this time using compulsion.

Elena fought it as hard as she could, but she could feel the words bubbling up despite her best efforts. "After he saved me from your men, he told me about vampires."

"And…?" Klaus prodded, curious.

"And we kissed." Elena said, so softly that Klaus had to almost lean in to hear.

Damon watched as the expression of confusion on Stefan's face was replaced with one of shock, and then hurt.

"Stefan, I - " Damon started to say, but he stopped when he saw his brother's look of anger.

"Don't." Stefan snarled at him, his mind struggling to comprehend what he had just heard.

Elena watched the brothers' exchange with a look of apprehension and worry.

Meanwhile, Klaus leaned back on his heels, grinning.

"Well, before I kill you all, at least we're going to be provided with a little family drama. This _will_ be fun."

(*)

 _Could I have a little, tiny review please? :)_


	6. Her Anger

"You knew how I felt about her." Stefan said, so quietly that Elena almost missed it.

She felt overwhelmed with guilt, she had never meant to come between the brothers. How had this even happened?

"Stefan, stay focused. He's trying to turn us against each other." Damon said, almost pleadingly.

Stefan laughed once, humourlessly. " _Trying_? I think he's succeeded."

Damon sighed. "Look Stefan, it was a mistake, a one time thing. Why do you think I compelled her to forget?"

"Because you were doing what you always do. Running away from your problems." Stefan replied, his teeth gritted.

Before Damon replied, Klaus clapped once. "Enough. This drama is boring me now." He turned to the witch beside him. "Do Damon first."

The witch turned to face Damon. She closed her eyes and curled her hands into fists, willing the force of her magic towards him. It started to have effect almost immediately, as Damon's face twisted in pain. He held out as long as he could, before he started groaning in agony, his body curling up.

"No!" Elena screamed, the ferocity of her cry surprising herself. She launched herself in front of Damon, placing herself in between him and the witch, hoping that somehow it would cause his pain to stop. Stefan watched them, a blank expression on his face. Of course he would have tried to help Damon if he could, but the kind of magic the witch was using, he could do nothing to stop. However Elena didn't know this, and yet she had still moved to protect Damon, even though it was entirely possible that she could have hurt herself in the process. Realization dawned on Stefan. Elena had feelings for his brother.

Klaus watched the scene play out with a small smile on his face, before eventually giving a small nod to the witch. She immediately dropped her hands, and the barn fell silent, apart from Damon's gasping breaths. Elena turned, cupping Damon's face with her hand, checking he was unharmed. Klaus didn't speak, he didn't need to. He could feel the anger radiating from Stefan, and he knew it was only a matter of time before it exploded to the surface.

"Tell me something, Damon." Stefan said quietly, and Klaus smiled triumphantly. "While you were busy falling in love with Elena, when exactly did you decide to tell her that you were the one who burnt down her village?"

It was a low blow, Stefan knew it the second the words left his lips, and he regretted them immediately. He just couldn't stop the feeling of bitterness that had risen inside him on seeing Elena attempt to protect his brother. It was happening again, the same thing that had happened with Katherine. It left a sour taste in his mouth.

On hearing his words, Elena's hand shot back from Damon, as if she had touched a hot poker.

"No." She whispered, wanting desperately for Stefan's words to be untrue. She willed Damon to speak up, to deny it, but he only looked away, his face betraying no emotions.

"Since the truth is coming out, I may as well tell you a bit more, Elena." Klaus cut in, thoroughly enjoying himself. "I've known Damon and Stefan since they were mere children. And they have been loyal to me since then. So my guess is, when you turned up on their doorstep, their plan was to simply hand you over to me. Of course, them falling in love with you may have scuppered that plan, but I thought it would be good for you to know what they were originally going to do with you."

Elena scrambled to her feet, trying to block out his words. She felt sick to her stomach. Everything she thought she knew was coming undone. These brothers, who had seemed so kind at the start, were never protecting her at all. They had just been biding their time before they could hand her over. On top of that Damon, Damon who she had been falling for, had been the one to light the fire that had destroyed her hometown. She felt a sob escape from her, and suddenly standing felt like too much effort. She staggered away from both brothers, and then collapsed to the ground, her back turned to them.

The silence in the barn was deafening, as Klaus assessed his work. Stefan was still standing, watching Elena cry, with an expression of shame across his face. Damon was still on the ground, his face as expressionless as ever, his gaze turned to the ground. Elena was hunched over in the corner, crying softly. Klaus smiled coldly, he had completely destroyed them.

"Enough moping." Klaus said, bored. "Kill them." He instructed his men.

At that, the Salvatore brothers seemed to wake up. Damon leapt to his feet, and they stood back to back, as Klaus's men started to circle them warily. Years of experience fighting together kicked in, and they moved seamlessly, taking down the men around them. Elena stood, wanting to help, but she didn't see how. She was hopelessly weak compared to these...vampires. Saying the word still felt strange to her. Damon and Stefan had started out well, but as she watched, she could see them struggling. They were powerful, but it wasn't enough, they were hopelessly outnumbered. Suddenly she felt someone grab her by her hair, and slam her against the wall of the barn. She turned her head painfully, to see Klaus snarling with fury.

"Don't think I'd forgotten you killed my brother." He growled, and slammed her head again. Her vision went blurry as Klaus twisted her arm behind her back. He then flipped her so she was facing him, and wrapped his fingers around her throat. She tried to claw at them, attempting to pull them off, but his grip was too strong. She gasped for breath, but it was no use, she could feel herself losing consciousness. As her hands dropped to her side, she heard a crashing sound in the distance. Her last sight was the tiny frame of Bonnie striding through the doors, her arms raised and her eyes closed in concentration, and then Elena's world went black.

(**)

Elena woke, with a dull pounding in her head. Her eyes were still closed, but she could feel that she was in a bed. Confused, she slowly opened her eyes and found herself staring into those mesmerising blue eyes that she loved. No, that she hated.

"Elena, thank god you're awake." Damon said, his voice sounding concerned. He reached out to touch her, but she scrambled backwards, away from him. The briefest expression of hurt crossed his face, but then it was gone and he stiffened. She jumped off the bed, and ran out of the room, past Stefan who also tried to reach out for her. Racing down the staircase, her hand was almost on the front door when Damon suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Stop. You can't go out." He said, putting his hands on her arms.

She squirmed out of his grasp. "Don't touch me." She spat at him. She stepped backwards, away from him, running into Stefan who had somehow crept up behind her. She turned, so that she could keep both of them in her eyeline. Annoyingly, Damon was still in between her and the door.

"What, am I a prisoner here now?" She asked, her voice icy.

"We're _all_ prisoners here." Stefan said gently. "Klaus has his men surrounding the castle."

"Remember what I told you, about vampires needing to be invited in? We signed over the castle to you, so they can't enter without your permission." Damon explained.

Elena hated the reminder of that night when Damon had told her about vampires, when she'd...kissed him. Just weeks after he had burnt down almost everyone she had ever loved. She felt disgusted with herself.

"You'll be dead within a minute if you leave." Stefan added.

"Oh, so _now_ you care about whether I live or die? What about when you were planning to hand me over to Klaus, it didn't cross your mind then?" Elena asked, bitterly.

Stefan had the decency to look away, ashamed, but Damon met her gaze head on, unflinching.

"No, it didn't. Because we didn't know you." He said, brutally honest as always.

"What is wrong with you? Both of you? All that time I spent here, in your house, thinking I was under your protection. But I was simply awaiting my death. _How_ could I have been so stupid?" Elena let out a cry of frustration. "If Klaus had arrived here any earlier, I might not even be alive right now, and you two would probably have forgotten all about me. What kind of people do that? I thought these two kind strangers had let me stay in their house, I felt _fortunate_ to have met you, imagine that? And you were probably laughing behind my back, at my naivety, counting down the days until Klaus would come so you wouldn't have to deal with me anymore."

"Elena, it wasn't like that at all!" Stefan cut in, looking aghast at her accusations.

"So Klaus was lying? Tell me, when I arrived here, were you actually offering me protection, or were you just keeping me here until you could give me to Klaus?" She shot back.

Their guilty silence told her all she needed to know. She let out another scream of frustration, and stormed off into the study. She wished she could get out of here, get away from these manipulative Salvatores, but if what they had said was true and they were in fact surrounded by Klaus's men, she wasn't eager to be walking to her death.

As she gazed out of the study window, she heard footsteps behind her and groaned inwardly. Why couldn't they just leave her alone?

"We did what we had to, to survive, Elena. You would have done the same, had you been in our situation." Damon said quietly, from behind her. She guessed Stefan had chosen not to follow her this time.

"And burning down my village, was that part of your plan for survival too?" She asked, without turning around to face him.

"I-" Damon hesitated, and Elena felt a grim satisfaction that for once, Damon Salvatore didn't know what to say. "That was a mistake." He finally settled on.

"A mistake?" Elena spat. "Burning down my hometown, killing my closest friends and their families was a _mistake_?! I just want to hit myself. How did I not know? Those weeks afterwards, I danced with you. I kissed you. While my entire hometown lay there, burnt to a crisp, I was actually falling in _love_ with the person responsible. A murderer."

Her frustration and anger bubbled to the surface, and with another scream, she turned around and hurled the glass in her hand towards Damon. His vampire reflexes kicked in, and he managed to duck and avoid it, however the wall didn't fare so well. The glass shattered against it, leaving a deafening silence behind it. He turned back to her, unable to hide the shock on his face.

"You were right, that day. You _are_ a monster." She whispered.

His eyes hardened at that, and she saw rage simmering within him. She briefly wondered if he would attack her, but then he turned, without a word, and strode from the room, slamming the door behind him. The noise rang hard in her ears.

(**)

Damon took a swig of his drink, trying to calm himself down. He didn't even know why he was so angry, he'd spent most of his life calling himself a monster, so why did it feel different when she said it? He heard Bonnie pad into the room behind him, trying to be quiet. She was of course locked in this castle with the rest of them. After she had come to their rescue in the barn, she had temporarily incapacitated Klaus and his men, while Stefan had swept up Elena's unconscious body. And then they had run, narrowly escaping Klaus for long enough to sign over the castle to Elena.

"You ok?" Bonnie asked, concerned.

He nodded, turning to face her.

"I overheard your fight." She added, softly.

"The whole village probably heard it." He replied, drily.

"Why, Damon, why? Since when was burning down a village part of the plan to 'get the girl'?"

"Dammit, Bon, I'm not in the mood."

"Well get in the mood. We are stuck inside this stupid castle, until we come up with a plan. I risked my life for you and your brother, and note how I said for you two, and not for her. So now I need your focus to get us out of here. And that won't happen while you're distracted with her. So spill. What happened?"

Damon sighed. Once Bonnie wanted something done, there was little point in getting in her way.

"You heard, didn't you? I messed up."

"That's a surprise." Bonnie said, sarcastically. "What possessed you to do something so incredibly stupid? In what world was that ever going to help you with Elena?"

"I wasn't thinking about Elena, I was thinking about Stefan. If I had refused Klaus's order, he would have been suspicious."

"Don't try and justify your actions." Elena's cold voice cut through the room. "Let's focus on getting out of here." She said, taking a seat and avoiding Damon's gaze.

Stefan followed behind her, sitting down beside her. Damon idly wondered if they had been talking, and then tried to ignore the irrational pang of jealousy he felt.

"I have an idea." His brother said. "Klaus isn't the only Original around."

Bonnie had been looking at Damon worriedly, but at this, she turned to Stefan, shocked.

"Are you crazy? We have enough problems with one Original, you want to get involved with more?"

"I don't understand. What's an Original?" Elena jumped in.

Damon suddenly realised he was the only one standing, and joined the others who were sitting around a table. He tried to ignore the way Elena flinched, when he sat down beside her.

"They're the very first vampires ever created, making them the oldest and strongest of all vampires." Stefan explained briefly. "They can't be killed in the normal way other vampires can be."

"Stake?" Elena asked, remembering what Damon had first told her about vampires.

"Yes. And fire." Stefan nodded, turning back to Bonnie. "An Original is our only chance of getting away from here." He said, continuing the conversation, but Elena wasn't listening anymore. Fire? She thought back to when she had plunged into the flames in her village, looking for that child. Damon had saved her, knowing that the fire could have killed him. She pushed away the thought, Damon had been the one responsible for those flames. When she looked up, Damon was watching her. He averted his gaze immediately.

"But where are Klaus's siblings? We have no idea how to find them, and on top of that, we can't even leave this castle." Bonnie said, frustratedly.

"We can leave the castle. But not for long." Damon said, finally contributing to the conversation. "The tunnel." He explained, and Elena remembered the long tunnel from the castle that they had used to get to the market.

"And I know how to find one sibling." Stefan added. He stood up abruptly, and left the room, leaving Elena and Bonnie confused. Damon leaned back in his chair, as if he had not a care in the world. A few minutes passed in awkward silence, with Elena glaring at Damon, Damon looking everywhere around the room apart from at Elena, and Bonnie glancing between them, concerned. Eventually, Stefan walked back in, a locket swinging from his fingers. He placed it on the table in front of Bonnie.

"Here. This is Rebekah's...was Rebekah's. You can find her using it." He said quietly. The way his voice softened ever so slightly on the word Rebekah, made Elena believe that there was some history there.

Bonnie nodded, and stood up and left the room, Stefan following quickly behind her, leaving Elena and Damon sitting at the table.

"Elena..." Damon started, but Elena cut him off with an icy glare. "Don't, Damon."

She stood up to leave, but he caught her wrist, pulling her back. "No, you've talked enough. It's my turn now."

She glared at him, clearly unhappy, but she didn't try and leave so he carried on. "Yes, I did a horrible thing. But I warned you, I _am_ a horrible person. So you can be angry with me all you want, you can shout at me or ignore me. But I _told_ you I was a monster, so you can't be surprised to find out that I acted like one. _This_ is who I am."

He felt his frustration rising, his anger at her, at Klaus, and though he tried to stop it, he felt his fangs coming out. He saw her flinch at the sight of them, but he just didn't care anymore.

"Are you scared? You _should_ be. I'm tired of trying to pretend like I'm a better person around you, I just want to be myself. I'm the kind of person that goes around burning down villages, killing innocent people, helping vampires like Klaus do their dirty work and then doesn't think twice about it."

Elena finally managed to yank her wrist free from Damon, and took a step backwards, looking up at him defiantly.

"No, Damon. That's the saddest part of all this. You're _not_ that kind of person."

She reached up, as if she wanted to touch him, but then thought better of it and put her arm back down, walking from the room.

(**)

 _I apologise, this was such a late update, but I've finally got a holiday! So pleaseee could I have a review, because I am worried I left it too long, and you might have all given up on this story :(_


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